ACC to make cement from non-biodegradable waste

ACC Limited, a leading cement manufacturing company, has decided to process non-degradable waste materials like disposed water bottles, polythene and other waste materials to make cement at its plant at Bargarh in western Orissa.

The company will enter into agreements with the major urban local bodies (ULBs) of the state very soon to take up processing of non-degradable waste materials.

In fact, many of these civic bodies including Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) have started the process of supplying the non biodegradable wastes to ACC's cement plant.

The ULBs will not get anything in return from the cement company but they will heave a sigh of relief on proper disposal of the non-degradable wastes from their areas, said a senior officer of the state’s urban development department. The officials of some of the ULBs have visited the company’s plant at Katni (Madhya Pradesh), where the firm is processing plastic and polyethylene to manufacture cement.

ACC Limited proposes to use the same technology at its Bargarh plant. “It will help us in the process of the solid waste management” said BMC mayor Siba Shankar Das. Proper disposal of the non-degradable waste materials is a headache for BMC even though it has already prohibited the sale and manufacture of polythene packed water pouches in the municipality areas.

BMC is collecting about 140 tonnes of solid wastes in the town daily and a major chunk of them are non-degradable materials like the polythene, plastic and others. “BMC will not face any problem in the transportation of these waste materials at least once a month to the cement plant at Bargarh”, said BMC commissioner Bhim Manseth. The transport cost would be borne from the funds of the sold waste management, he added. The non-degradable materials would be separated from the wastes that are collected from the streets and houses by the sweepers and the private parties undertaking the sanitation works.

Once we accumulate these non-biodegradable wastes to the tune of 4-5 tonnes, they will be transported to ACC's cement unit, said Das.