Taiheiyo Cement Corp. is strengthening its waste-materials recycling business in a bid to increase the profitability of its growing environmental business. 
 
The company is investing around 3 billion yen at its Oita plant to put a garbage incinerator ash processing facility into service this month. The new facility will be capable of processing 40,000 metric tons per year. Combined with the existing Kumagaya plant, this will raise the company’s annual processing capacity to 100,000t. 
 
The processing facilities remove metal and chlorine from incinerator ash, and the remaining material is used as a fuel in the cement-making process. The new Oita facility is slated to collect waste from the Kyushu, Chugoku and Shikoku regions.
 
Sewage sludge, incinerator ash and scrap lumber can also be used as fuel. The amount of waste products and byproducts the company consumes is growing every year. 
 
In fiscal 2005, 351kg of waste materials were consumed for each ton of cement produced. By fiscal 2010, the company plans to increase that amount by 14% to 400kg.