New Carolina: South Carolina's Council on Competitiveness

Champion

Tina Huskey, Mumford Industries
Chantal Fryer, Recycling Market Development
SC Department of Commerce

Website

Overview/Mission

RecyclonomicsSC's mission is to expand and strengthen South Carolina’s recycling industry by establishing policy, building networks, promoting market development and leveraging existing infrastructure.  

The RecyclonomicsSC vision is for South Carolina to be a national leader in the recycling industry in terms of job creation, investment and providing sustainable markets for recyclable materials.

RecyclonomicsSC is an initiative that brings together recycling businesses and industry who utilize recycled materials in their manufacturing process. RecyclonomicsSC helps promote recycling markets and position recycling businesses as competitive, viable participants in developing jobs, retaining local community employers, generating additional tax revenues and increasing economic development opportunities. New Carolina, South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness, is the steering group for the RecyclonomicsSC; and Sonoco Products, a global packaging company that uses recycled content, is the anchor company for the organization.

RecyclonomicsSC officially launched in October 2007 as the South Carolina Recycling Council (SCRC). Work that led to the formation of the Cluster started long before that, almost fifteen years prior, with the creation of the Recycling Marketed Development Advisory Council (RMDAC).  In 2003, New Carolina’s vision of creating clusters aligned well with events happening in the South Carolina recycling industry. In 2005, the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control contracted with economists Dr. Frank Hefner and Dr. Calvin Blackwell, both of the College of Charleston, to determine the economic impact of recycling in South Carolina. The final report was issued on June 23, 2006.  In 2011, the organization went through a branding process to create RecyclonomicsSC.

Recycling Statistics

The report found that the recycling industry provides 37,440 jobs to South Carolina residents and produces $1.5 billion in personal income for South Carolinians. Moreover, the total economic impact brought by recycling to the state is $6.5 billion dollars, according to that same study. The recycling industry is expected to grow at 12% annually over the next five years (2006). The study determined that recycling contributes to the economic health of a state’s economy.

Reference Library

South Carolina boasts a strong recycling economy brochure
New Carolina Recycling Co-Champion Chantal Fryer on SC Business Review

Success Story

New Carolina and  the South Carolina’s Recycling Council  announced in February the release of a new specialty license plate that  promotes recycling through the introduction of the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” specialty plate.  The South Carolina Recycling Council is one of the state’s economic clusters supported by New Carolina, and worked to launch the new plates. Available for purchase through the SC Department of Motor Vehicles, proceeds from the plate support recycling efforts in South Carolina through programs run by the Carolina Recycling Association made available to the recycling industry. They also support education and outreach initiatives as well as initiatives to help grow recycling across the state.

Recycling is a thriving $6.5 billion industry in South Carolina which benefits both the economy and environment.  

The South Carolina Recycling Council held a design contest for the specialty plate design and Janice Antley, Mighty Mouse Productions, was the winner of the contest. The Greater Greenville Sanitation Commission provided financial support to the Carolina Recycling Association to be able to advance the funding for the plate production fee. The Carolina Recycling Association plans to develop programs and outreach to enhance recycling’s importance as a smart solution to waste management through avoided disposal fees, job creation and investment, and quality of life in the state.

“We are excited to promote the new recycling specialty plate to South Carolina citizens and encourage recycling with the message of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle on vehicles traveling in South Carolina and across the United States. Underscoring the message of recycling, each license plate is also made from recycled aluminum,”said Ronnie Grant, chair of the South Carolina Recycling Council.