The region’s newsprint collected for recycling will now have to travel a bit farther thanks to the closure of one of B.C.’s last paper recycling plants.

Catalyst Paper has announced that it is closing its Crofton paper recycling facility. Crofton is between Duncan and Chemainus. The company is also closing its de-inking machine in Port Coquitlam, as B.C.’s recycling industry continues to struggle amid tough economic times, dropping demand for recycled materials and low commodity prices.

The region’s newsprint will now be shipped to facilities in the U.S. and China.

“The industry is market-driven and we send newsprint to the mills offering the best price for it,” said Doug Stevens of METRO Waste Paper Recovery Inc.

His organization is responsible for collecting, transporting and marketing recyclable materials for the Capital Regional District.

Before the closure of the B.C. plant, about half of Greater Victoria’s 1,400 tonnes of newsprint collected every month was processed at the Catalyst facility while the rest was shipped to plants in the western U.S.

These plants included Nippon Paper Industries U.S.A. in Port Angeles, and the Blue Heron Paper Co. in Oregon, which recently filed for bankruptcy. Corrugated cardboard is still handled by a plant in Burnaby.

UVic geography professor Jutta Gutberlet says that the closure of the plant has significant consequences locally.

“First of all it means loss of employment, affecting the livelihoods of people,” said Gutberlet.

“The environmental consequences are significant as well. Shipping our newsprint to more distant places means an increase in emissions and in the use of fossil energy through transportation to get the material there and to bring the product back to our region.”

Gutberlet says these “indirect impacts” are externalized, meaning that everyone pays for them through health and environmental health implications.

Ministry of Environment Spokesperson Suntanu Dalal says that while it is unfortunate to see a local recycling plant shut down, the industry is subject to global demand.

“Ministry staff will monitor the situation and its impact on local government recycling initiatives,” said Dalal.

“The September Budget Update 2009 continues the government’s commitment to an infrastructure spending plan that includes the acceleration of a number of new projects in order to keep British Columbians working and help stimulate the economy, both in the short-term and for the long-term.”

But Gutberlet says that the closure of the plant in Port Coquitlam is not an isolated event.

Governments have largely ignored the recycling industry in their stimulus packages, she said.

“It seems that governments are more willing to inject in industries that use primary resources instead of the recycling industry,” said Gutberlet.

“I also think that the recycling industry doesn’t have a strong political and economic lobby and therefore, in most cases, is not favoured with public policies.”

Gutberlet says this is what happens in market and profit-oriented Meteconomies.

“An alternative to overcome this would be to have policies in place that prioritize products made from recycled materials,” Gutberlet said.

“To put such a model into practice would only need political will and critical thinking.”