Displaying items by tag: Waste management

UK: Cemex UK has launched its partnership with The Pallet LOOP, with the first load of LOOP’s reusable pallets carrying Rugby Cement products from the company’s plant in Rugby. The FSC-certified pallets are designed for multiple trips and are supported by a national collection service offering customers €2.30–€4.61 for each pallet returned. The Pallet LOOP offers €2.30 for pallets that are damaged or dirty but repairable, and €4.61 for those returned in good condition. Cemex is the first cement producer to adopt the system.

The national sales manager for bagged cement at Cemex UK, Vicki Elliott, said “The Pallet LOOP’s business model mirrors our commitment to circularity with its award-winning reuse scheme. For decades, wasted and abandoned wood pallets have posed a real challenge across the supply chain. It is great to see such a fresh and dynamic approach effectively tackling the long-standing issue of single-use pallets. We look forward to expanding the service across the full Cemex portfolio in future roll outs.”

Managing director at The Pallet LOOP Andy Williamson said "The departure of the first load of Rugby Cement products on our LOOP pallets is another major milestone for us, for Cemex and for the wider building materials sector. By rewarding customers for every pallet they return, we’re making sustainability pay - helping companies in the construction industry lower costs while also reducing waste and their carbon footprint."

India: Recycling equipment manufacturer Fornnax Technology has launched the R-MAX3300, its largest secondary shredder, at IFAT India 2025 in Mumbai on 14 October 2025. The machine is designed to process low-density waste streams such as municipal solid waste, commercial and industrial waste, bulky waste, legacy waste, wood waste and construction and demolition waste. The R-MAX3300 produces refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and solid recovered fuel (SRF) with particle sizes between 30 and 50mm.

Director and CEO of Fornnax Technology Jignesh Kundaria said “With the rising challenges of waste management in India and globally, this machine is not just a product; it’s a powerful tool for change. We engineered it to handle the most difficult waste streams with unparalleled efficiency, turning what was once considered unusable waste into a valuable resource. It directly addresses the urgent demand for effective, large-scale shredding technology that can support cement kilns and waste-to-energy facilities in achieving the desired output.”

According to the company, India currently generates over 160,000t/day of municipal solid waste. Simultaneously, the global industrial shredder market is expected to grow at a 5-6% CAGR, driven by stricter recycling regulations and increasing waste generation.

Belgium: Etex and Heidelberg Materials have joined forces on CEMLOOP XL, an industrial-scale project co-funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme that aims to revolutionise fibre cement recycling through a fully closed-loop process integrating carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology. According to a press release by Etex, this will reduce CO₂ emissions in cement production by at least 20% and cut energy consumption in the process by 15%.

The project will combine the two companies' expertise to create a fully circular process where waste fibre cement is transformed into high-quality secondary raw material to produce low-carbon cement that will be reused in new fibre cement products. Etex, in collaboration with the Jacobs Group, is developing a recycled fibre cement paste (RFCP) process that converts waste from Etex’s production lines and the wider construction sector into reusable material and avoids landfilling. A new recycling facility in Hemiksem, near Antwerp, is under construction and scheduled for completion by mid-2026.

At Heidelberg Materials’ Lixhe cement plant in Liège, the company is implementing CCLIX, a carbonation process that treats RFCP with CO₂ captured from kiln exhaust gases. This produces carbonated RFCP (cRFCP), which regains cementitious properties and can partially replace clinker in low-carbon cement production. A dedicated carbonation reactor is set to be commissioned at Lixhe by the end of 2028.

Etex says that CEMLOOP XL will prevent 60,000t/yr of fibre cement waste, save 100,000t/yr  of raw limestone, and capture or avoid around 900kg of CO₂ for each tonne of RFCP produced. This process combines utilisation and storage in one step - the captured CO₂ becomes chemically bound within the new product, acting as a permanent CO₂ sink.

Eric Bertrand, chief innovation officer at Etex, said “By 2030, we aim for over 20% of our inputs to come from circular sources and to send zero waste to landfill. Fibre cement plays a central role in this transformation. For the first time, it will follow a fully circular journey - a milestone only made possible through strong partnerships like this with Heidelberg Materials.”

Bolivia: The municipal government of Santa Cruz de la Sierra has signed an agreement with Itacamba Cemento to recycle thousands of end-of-life tyres (ENDTs) into alternative fuel for cement production, according to the El Deber newspaper. The initiative was implemented through the Municipal Waste Management Company (Emacruz).

Under the agreement, discarded tyres collected from landfills will be transformed into thermal energy for use in Itacamba’s cement kilns, reducing waste and fossil fuel consumption. The tyres will be incinerated at temperatures exceeding 1400°C, with monitoring and gas-capture systems employed to prevent harmful emissions.

Mayor Jhonny Fernández said “We guarantee the responsible disposal of thousands of tonnes of tyres that would otherwise cause pollution or become breeding grounds for diseases like dengue. This is our tangible contribution to a healthier environment and better quality of life for our citizens.”

Itacamba Cemento general manager Marcelo Morales said “Co-processing is a globally recognised waste management method that complies with the waste hierarchy. Our kiln enables the complete and safe destruction of non-recyclable materials.”

Japan: Austria-based UNTHA shredding technology has appointed Sun Earth as its official partner for regional sales, system design and service of its industrial shredders in Japan. The agreement expands UNTHA’s global presence to around 40 countries. The partnership responds to rising demand for environmental technologies in Japan, particularly for waste-to-energy and recycling applications. UNTHA’s XR, ZR and RS shredder models will support the production of refuse-derived fuels and the recycling of valuable materials.

Vietnam: Industry leaders have argued that co-processing of non-recyclable plastic waste in cement kilns could be a scalable solution to advance Vietnam’s sustainability and circular economy goals. At a workshop held in Hanoi on 2 October 2025, the Norwegian Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research (SINTEF) and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, in partnership with the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA), concluded the OPTOCE Project (‘Ocean Plastic Turned into an Opportunity in Circular Economy’), funded by the Norwegian government.

Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Hilde Solbakken said “Combating marine plastics and climate change is a top priority for Norway – both globally and in Vietnam. Through OPTOCE, we’ve seen how science-based solutions like co-processing can transform plastic waste into a resource that benefits the climate, the economy and communities.”

OPTOCE was originally launched as a regional initiative in five countries, including Vietnam, and later expanded to eight countries across Asia. The workshop featured several presentations and a panel discussion focusing on the legal framework, potential waste supplies, and the practices and challenges in implementing co-processing in Vietnam.

Dr Kåre Helge Karstensen, chief scientist and programme manager of OPTOCE, added that the initiative has proven co-processing to be both technically feasible and environmentally sound. “The next step is to move beyond pilots and integrate this solution into national policy frameworks to drive systemic change,” he said.

Dr Lương Đức Long, VNCA vice president, said Vietnam’s cement industry is already applying co-processing successfully. “Co-processing waste in cement kilns is a safe and effective solution. We hope the government introduces specific policies and incentives that support enterprises and technology transfer. If we join forces, co-processing will turn wastes into ‘black gold’ and cement factories into ideal co-processing hubs,” he said.

Vietnam’s cement plants, including INSEE’s Hon Chong facility in Kien Giang and Lam Thach Green Cement (QNC)’s plant in the north, have piloted this approach since 2021, achieving thermal substitution rates of 35–40%.

Indonesia: Indocement, through its subsidiary PT Semen Bosowa Maros, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the city of Makassar’s government to collaborate on the use of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) generated from the city’s waste management system.

The agreement was signed by Syamsul Rijal, Director of PT Semen Bosowa Maros, and Munafri Arifuddin, Mayor of Makassar, in the presence of company representatives.

Belarus: The country’s cement sector is intensifying efforts to use refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in cement production, according to the state information agency Belarus Telegraph Agency.

Belarusian Cement Company introduced an RDF processing line in 2021 at OAO Krasnoselskstroymaterialy in Grodno Oblast, enabling full incineration of RDF supplied by local waste-processing plants. Contracts are reportedly already in place with RDF suppliers for 25,000t of the fuel to be delivered by the end of 2025.

In September 2025, industrial trials of RDF made by Minsk-based Ekores will begin. If successful, shipments from the company could double from 15,000t to 30,000t, raising total RDF use to 40,000t in the final quarter of 2025.

Plans are also underway to expand RDF infrastructure in 2026, with a regional municipal waste management and RDF production complex under construction near Volkovysk.

South Korea: The Ministry of Environment has announced a pilot project to recycle waste fabric scraps from sewing factories into alternative fuel for the cement industry. The agreement has been signed with: textile companies Pang Rim, Sewang, Sinhan Spinning & Textile; cement companies Ssangyong C&E and Asia Cement; and the Korea Recycling Service Agency (KORA). It expands on an earlier initiative launched in 2024 with four Seoul districts.

Under the project, fabric scraps that were previously incinerated or landfilled will be separated, sorted and processed into intermediate fuel, which cement plants will use in the production process. The Ministry said that KORA will support raw material supply and recycling logistics, while cement firms will adopt the fabric-derived fuel to reduce waste and fossil fuel use.

Kim Go-eung, Director General of the Resources Circulation Bureau, said “The separation, sorting and recycling of waste are essential elements for producing high-quality recycled raw materials. To establish a circular system, we will continue to identify and expand various measures so that the supply of excellent recycled raw materials and the securing of demand sources can be balanced.”

India: Tiruchi Corporation has intensified efforts to manage non-recyclable plastics by diverting them to cement plants for use as alternative fuel. The city generates 400 - 450t/day of waste, of which about 75% is segregated at source. Non-recyclable plastics are collected through door-to-door systems and sent to Dalmia Cements’ and UltraTech Cement’s plants, where they are used as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in the kilns. Since July 2024, 2384t of plastics have been diverted to cement plants.

An upcoming automated material recovery facility at Ariyamangalam, with a capacity of 250t/day, is expected to further improve segregation, ensuring recyclable, non-recyclable, inert and RDF streams are directed to cement plants for reuse.