JAIPUR:
Geocycle, the in-house waste management arm of ACC and Ambuja Cements is collaborating with Rekart Innovations to remove plastic waste from Jojari riverbed in Pipar city in Jodhpur district, Rajasthan. The first consignment of plastic waste weighting more than 10 tons was recovered recently and sent to Geocycle’s processing facilities in Ambuja and ACC cement plants.
Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd are the two main operating companies of LafargeHolcim in India, and Geocycle is an in-house waste management arm that provides services for industrial, agricultural, municipal and plastic waste.
The river cleaning project expects to remove more than 150 tons of plastic waste and restore 7,500 cubic meters of river area. Jojari River, a key tributary of Luni River in Rajasthan and locally known as ‘Desert Ganga’ has become a local dumping ground in recent years. A recent scientific study had revealed that the river had become severely depleted and dangerous to local agriculture and the natural ecosystem causing significant health problems for local the local population.
“We are committed to building a sustainable future by adopting clean and green technologies. Our waste management division Geocycle India has been part of many initiatives and has helped both Ambuja and ACC cement to make use of waste from the different industrial sectors by getting closer to achieve the “Net Zero waste” goal. Geocycle’s vast co-processing infrastructure guarantees safe and environmentally friendly final treatment of the collected waste: co-processing in cement kiln recovers energy and recycles material value in waste, leaving no residue,” said Neeraj Akhoury, CEO India, LafargeHolcim and MD & CEO of Ambuja Cements Limited.
Geocycle is collaborating with Rekart Innovations, an Extended Producer Responsibility or EPR organization to setup a mechanical sorting machine for the segregation of the waste collected. This plant will treat mixed and untreated waste on the dumpsite and segregate low-value plastic and other composite and combustible waste. The recovered waste will be sent to Geocycle’s facilities at the Ambuja and ACC cement plants, where it will be pre-processed into a uniform mixture and then treated through co-processing, ensuring full recycling and recovery.
Geocycle had also recently secured the mandate to remove plastic waste from Yamuna River using its innovative ‘bubble curtain’ technology. The Geocycle bubble barrier was installed on the Mantola Canal in the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, which carries 40% of Agra’s rainwater and wastewater.
