Dedicated to the challenges of dispossing waste

It just keeps on growing. Whether domestic, municipal or industrial, the vital question remains: "Where to put it?"

Yet many still ignore the issue.

What won't go away however are the facts we all face in the future; world population is set to grow from six to eight billion in the next 20 years, and with energy prices becoming a serious issue the need to conserve energy is getting clearer.

Studies show that buildings alone account for 40 per cent of all primary energy consumed, and population growth, urban development and consumer lifestyle place enormous pressure on existing infrastructure.

Let's face it, who wants to live near a waste dump or power plant? All too often, this is the only option for the less fortunate in our society, who are often scavenging to support a life of poverty. Over the long term, better education may be able to effect change and the adoption of sustainable practices to reduce, re-use and recycle in every household. But the short term is looking increasingly bleak. We need practical solutions today.

The cement industry might, at first glance, be an unusual place to look for solutions. Holcim, one of the world's largest cement producers, first looked closely at its energy-intensive operations over two decades ago and found a way to completely remove a wide range of waste materials and at the same time help conserve fossil fuels.

In the world of waste management, the worst thing any society can do is offload garbage in illegal dumps. Aside from polluting soil, encouraging pests and becoming an unsightly mess, such waste decomposes - giving off odourless methane and carbon dioxide, among other gases.

Designated landfills, while offering a controlled environment, are increasingly over-pressed and both CO2 emissions and the leaching of pollutants into the rivers remain real risks. Incineration is not much better as a solution. To combust most waste requires the use and expense of fossil fuels, but the process still leaves a residue that has to be removed.

The cement kiln, operating at far higher temperatures on a continuous basis is effective in eradicating waste and offers a complete solution in that there simply is no residue.

The energy still available in other wastes such as used tyres and resins - otherwise lost if dumped - can be recovered in the kiln as an alternative to consuming fossil fuels. It may have been unsightly and unwanted, but at Holcim it is not wasted.

Since taking the decision to offer waste-management services 30 years ago, Holcim has since accumulated a vast body of knowledge on waste types and how to handle them. This has been incorporated into a dedicated business called Geocycle.

Today, Geocycle operates in 35 countries, helping the public and private sector to deal with their waste responsibly, safely and reliably

Everyone has a waste issue - it may be hazardous and need to be handled carefully. It may be in an unusual form such as CFC gases that can do far more damage to the earth's protective ozone layer. It may be an out-of-date product line or sub-standard manufacture that cannot be released in the market. Geocycle has the expertise and service support to manage these and much more.