Paper
- Paper, cartons and cardboard
- Flatten cardboard
Educational Resources
Educational Resources
Confused about recycling? You’re not alone. Our teams have various resources to help you better understand your impacts and how you can contribute to the circular economy, even in the smallest of ways.
Recycling Starts with You
Once you drop off your recyclables and/or place your items in the recycling bin, what happens?
Often part of a curbside collection program, municipalities we work with send your disposed materials to our facility. They’re called MRFs – Material Recovery Facilities – and they specialize in separating and sorting materials for the proper recycling stream.
Video Tour of a Material Recovery Facility (MRF)
Watch the entire process at our Raleigh, NC MRF.
Recycle Right for a Greener State
What can you place in your recycling? The products below are listed as reference for our Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). Be sure to check your local municipality for compliance in your area.
How to Recycle Right
Metal
- Cans
- Empty and rinse before placing them in a bin
Plastic
- Bottles, tubs, jugs and jars
- No pumps
- Empty and rinse before placing them in a bin
Glass
- Bottles and jars
- Empty and rinse before placing them in a bin
Additional Recycling Resources
Recycling Resources for the US
- Environmental Protection Agency: Recycling Basics
Recycling Resources for the Carolinas
- Carolina Recycling Association: Resources List
- North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality: Recycle More NC
- SC DHEC's Office of Waste Reduction & Recycling
- South Carolina Department of Commerce: Recycling in SC
Resources for North and South Carolina Educators
- NC Environmental Education: Environmental education programs, events, and educator resources
- Environmental Education Association of South Carolina: Resources and community for environmental professionals and educators
- SC Green Step Schools: A program designed to encourage South Carolina schools to establish sustainability projects where students learn, do and teach others
For Students & Children
To give your students and children a better understanding of the end-to-end recycling process, consider showing them ours Remarkable Recycles video – a step-by-step journey on how we reduce, reuse and recycle.
We also have a coordinated coloring page to reinforce the message.
Looking for more information?
We work in partnership with our teams and experts across Sonoco to develop and produce valuable marketing content for the public at-large. A great resource to start your learning journey might include our Sustainability Unpacked series, which covers a range of recycling-related content and methodologies. We invite you to explore them on our Sustainability page.