Geocycle India, 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 of Jodhpur district in Rajasthan.
The first consignment of plastic waste weighting more than 10 tonnes was recovered recently and sent to Geocycle's processing facilities at Ambuja and ACC cement plants.
Ambuja and ACC 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 tonnes of plastic waste and restore 7,500 cubic metres of river area.
Jojari river, a key tributary of Luni river and locally known as 'Desert Ganga' has become a local dumping ground in recent years. A recent scientific study showed it has become severely depleted, and become dangerous to local agriculture and natural ecosystem causing significant health problems for local population.
"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 for LafargeHolcim and MD & CEO of Ambuja Cements.
Geocycle is collaborating with Rekart Innovations, an extended producer responsibility (EPR) organisation to set up a mechanical sorting machine for segregation of the waste collected. The 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 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 Mantola canal at Agra in Uttar Pradesh, which carries 40 per cent of the city's rainwater and wastewater.
( With inputs from ANI )
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