SP Newsprint Looks to Invest in Oregon Newsprint Mill

SP Newsprint Co. will invest in excess of $70 million in new recycling technology and other improvements aimed at making its Newberg mill a leading West Coast producer of recycled newsprint and a key purchaser of recycled paper from Oregon.
The investment – dubbed the Recycle Oregon Project -- will take recycled paper from the curbside to the news stand. It will allow the mill to recycle the mixed newspapers, magazines and paper collected at the curb from homeowners in Newberg, Portland and other Oregon communities. Currently, the mill purchases more highly sorted recycled newspapers from out-of-state suppliers.
The Newberg mill currently cannot handle the mix of paper collected in Oregon communities
The company is seeking in excess of $70 million in economic development revenue bonds for the project, which will retain the mill’s 350 family-wage jobs. The bonds must be approved through the state Economic and Community Development Department, the Economic and Community Development Commission, and the State Treasurer, but are paid by the company.