Holcim is bringing its waste management services to India. The company has set a revenue generation target of Rs 180 crore a year by 2012.

To begin with, the waste management services of ACC and Ambuja Cement, both Holcim group companies, have been given a special focus to co-process industrial hazardous waste in cement kilns at 14 facilities in India. The country annually produces 8.1Mt of industrial hazardous waste.

Though these units would function separately, they are likely to be spun off into a separate company providing dedicated waste management services. India’s competition law does not allow integration of the units when ACC and Ambuja Cement are separate companies. Going forward, Holcim plans to bring its Geocycle brand to India that could take over this service.

"We are talking to waste generators across India," Ramesh Suri, regional Geocycle project head, Asia Pacific, Holcim, said. "We have already signed 10 agreements with waste generators and 20 are in the pipeline. The project will be ramped up next year and we expect better responses from six states."