Orange County ARC honored by ITW Hi-Cone for commitment to recycling program

FULLERTON, California April 9, 1999 - Californian Republican Assemblyman Dick Ackerman helped ITW Hi-Cone present the Orange County ARC (OCARC) with an award today to recognize OCARC's hard work and dedication in making the company's recycling program successful. ITW Hi-Cone is the world's only manufacturer of plastic six-pack rings used in canned beverage packaging. Ackerman was touring the plant to view their recycling operations, and learn about ITW Hi-Cone's many environmental programs.

The ITW Hi-Cone recycling plant in Fullerton, California employs workers through the Orange County ARC, Inc. (OCARC) to sort their six-pack rings from small packages that consumers have shipped to the facility into large containers used in the recycling process.

OCARC is a non-profit organization funded by state of California to provide work opportunities for people with disabilities. According to Joyce Hearn, the director of OCARC, "the purpose of our organization is to foster self-reliance through meaningful employment. Many of the people who work in the program are mentally disabled, or have medical conditions such as epilepsy or cerebral palsy that make it difficult for them to find employment on their own." OCARC work teams, usually four people and one job coach, are contracted to work at the recycling plant when the volume is high. "The Fullerton recycling plant has been using an OCARC work team for over a year," says Hearn. "It's a very beneficial arrangement for both of us. We are really pleased to be recognized with this award, and wish there were more work opportunities like this one for OCARC teams."

Most of the rings returned to the recyling plant are collected by school children involved in ITW Hi-Cone's recycling programs. (Turning in six-pack rings benefits various school programs with compensation from ITW Hi-Cone for the rings collected.) ITW Hi-Cone developed the technology for photobiodegradable plastic, which is the material used to manufacture all six-pack rings so that they biodegrade in sunlight.

Together, ITW Hi-Cone and OCARC are working to improve the environment, while helping to provide work for people with developmental disabilities.