RockTenn, Norcross, Ga., USA, will close its uncoated recycled paperboard mill in Cincinnati, Ohio, by the end of this year, impacting 63 jobs. Company spokesperson Robin Keegan said that the mill is closing because it would need environmental upgrades to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's updated clean air standards for industrial boilers. She said the requirements to bring the facility in compliance would be "quite expensive."

 

Keegan added that "this is in no way a reflection on employees. They've done a fabulous job. The closure is based on market conditions."

 

The mill has been in operation since the 1940s and it was one of the oldest in RockTenn's system. It is also one of the smallest production facilities within the system, making up to 53,000 tons of recycled paperboard annually. Production from the Cincinnati mill will be transferred to plants in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Eaton, Ind.