Brazil-based Votorantim Cimentos inaugurated its first Brazilian unit dedicated to the operations of Verdera, its sustainable waste management and disposal arms and Viter, an agricultural inputs business, in Itaperuçu. The waste treated at the Itaperuçu will be used at Votorantim Cimentos' Rio Branco do Sul plant.

The BRL145m (US$28.6m) investment will house a new Verdera waste crushing plant an a new agricultural limestone production line. Verdera's new shredding plant has the capacity to shred 48,000tpa of waste, almost triple the company's current capacity of 17,000tpa. The facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art waste shredder that will allow Verdera to correctly treat and offer a sustainable destination for new types of non-recyclable materials, such as furniture, palletised and stored in drums. The 4400m2 space is also equipped with a product analysis and control laboratory, as well as an advanced fire-fighting system, which detects hot particles before a flame forms and automatically fights it with pressurised water.

"The investment in the Itaperuçu unit reinforces our market positioning, enabling important progress in structural competitiveness, decarbonisation and the growth of our new businesses in line with our strategic mandate. With Viter, we produce agricultural inputs to serve the important agro market in Paraná and neighbouring states. With Verdera, we offer circular economy solutions for the region, managing industrial and urban waste correctly and sustainably, generating a positive impact for society and the environment," says Osvaldo Ayres, global CEO of Votorantim Cimentos.