Atlanta, GA – August, 2011 –For Southern Waste & Recycling, achieving our company mission of environmental stewardship means carefully selecting partners that not only believe in our goals but also want to work with us to further them for our clients. One of these companies is Gainesville-based Wilheit Packaging.

In 1953, when Wilheit Packaging was founded by Tom Wilheit (Philip Wilheit Sr.’s father), no one could have envisioned the changes that would take place in the industry. In a time before convenience became a mainstay of society, companies were focused on delivering a quality product rather than worrying about their impact on the environment.

Today, that has changed, and Wilheit Packaging is leading the charge. The Gainesville-based company, which partner Philip Wilheit Jr. says has been "really pushing sustainable packaging" for the past five to six years, currently supplies some of the most environmentally friendly packaging products available.

From stretch films that are biodegradable and those that are stronger and thinner than ever (reducing materials use by 40%) to molded paper containers made from leftover pulp, Wilheit Packaging is at the forefront of sustainability initiatives in the packaging industry.

A friendship between Southern Waste & Recycling President Phil Kitchens and Philip Wilheit Jr. led to them discussing their common interest in sustainability a few years ago. The result has been a pioneering collaboration to provide an end-to-end solution for packaging materials.

As part of a plan to encourage customers to recycle, Wilheit Packaging and Southern Waste & Recycling are rolling out a new program where baled corrugated material will be returned in empty delivery trailers to Wilheit Packaging's Gainesville facility. The material will be separated, tagged by customer and marketed at the appropriate time to capture the highest possible return. This off-site storage program will eliminate the need for customers to store the material on their property or have trailers occupying dock space. Southern Waste & Recycling initially provided recycling services for Wilheit Packaging when customer-stored poly and paper-based materials became obsolete. In the past four years, Southern Waste & Recycling has helped a number of Wilheit Packaging's clients develop recycling programs so more materials could end up at a recycling facility instead of a landfill.

After Southern Waste & Recycling’s recent success in developing a sustainable, multi-facility recycling program for one of Wilheit Packaging's largest poultry-processing customers, there was realization that together they could really make a difference. Today, Wilheit Packaging and Southern Waste & Recycling perform sustainable, cradle-to-grave processing for some of the biggest customers of packaged materials in the state of Georgia. Wilheit Packaging and Southern Waste & Recycling are expanding their partnership and expect to have a noticeable impact, statewide.

Customers reap a measurable benefit as well, because they reduce their overall waste expense, receive credits for the materials they recycle and have a great, "green" story to share with clients. "Wilheit Packaging has the same initiatives as Southern Waste & Recycling," says Kitchens. "We have created an alliance based on these synergies: environmental focus, stewardship and creating sustainable programs for end-to-end solutions."

For more information about Wilheit Packaging visit www.wilheit.com.

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