Chilean cement producer Cemento Melón has inaugurated a new system that will allow the company to burn used tyres in its No 9 kiln at La Calera. At a cost of US$1.5m, Melón envisages the incineration of 1.5m tyres annually, replacing 20 per cent of current fuel use by this type of alternative fuel. Tyres and residues will be supplied by Goodyear, with whom the cement producer has formed a strategic alliance.