Recycling – It’s Not Just for Paper Anymore
As one of the largest buyers and sellers of recycled fiber in the world, GP Harmon Recycling managed more than 6 million tons of recovered paper in 2010. Of that, nearly 3 million tons went into a variety of Georgia-Pacific tissue, paper and paperboard products worldwide.
But there’s another side to GP Harmon’s business, one that collects metal, plastic and even X-ray film.
“With our international trading business and our ability to handle recycling at the back-end of our customers’ operations, it just made sense to expand into recovering other recyclable materials,” says Marc Forman, GP Harmon’s president.
In 2007, the company began collecting plastic and metal grades that are expensive for customers to dispose of on their own. In apparel, grocery and general merchandise retail outlets, these materials include steel and aluminum cans, plastic films, crates, garment hangers, steel baling wire and other metals.
Today, GP Harmon manages over 100,000 tons of nonpaper recyclable material, making it one of the largest nonpaper traders in the world.
More recently, GP Harmon saw another business opportunity in silver-based
X-ray and lithographic film recycling, prompted by the growth of the health care service industry, the rising cost of silver, and increased awareness of the environmental impact of these materials.
“We’re always looking for new sources of recoverable material and ways to help our customers create value and be more sustainable,” notes Forman.
Social Dimension