India's Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) has expressed its commitment towards disposal of wastes and plastics and use of alternative fuels and raw materials.
Addressing the 'CONSERVE 2019' conference on alternative fuel and raw materials in the cement industry, CMA President, Mahendra Singhi, said: "The Indian cement industry has been able to use almost 75Mt of waste as a replacement of raw materials and fuels."
Industry veterans present at the conference said that the cement manufacturers have adequate capacity to collect wastes from other sectors and use them.
Addressing the conference, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary, Parameswaran Lyer, said: "The cement industry is a critical partner in our goal towards the total disposal of waste and plastics.”
Shailendra Chouksey, former President of CMA and Director of JK Lakshmi Cement, said that the industry is glad to partner with the government in the initiative of waste management and environment conservation.
Speaking at CMA's coveted conference on alternative fuel and raw materials (AFR) Conserve 2019, the Honourable Secretary of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Durga Shankar Mishra called upon the cement industry to utilise plastics waste within 200km radius of their plant.
He said that 46 cement plants had already committed to use plastic waste within its 200km radius and thanked the CMA for enabling this. However he was confident that in near future this number will go up, with all the 238 plants agreeing and coming together to utilise the plastic waste in their vicinity. The Secretary assured that the government was willing to sit down and discuss with the industry on how to best manage the process of plastic and waste disposal.
