By Disposing Off This Plastic Ravana, The Cement Industry Has Shown How Waste Can Be Used As An Alternative Fuel

Whenever the topic of plastic wast come up of discussion on the persistent question that arises is on how to dispose of it without causing further environmental damages.

Now, the cement industry seems to have found a way to dispose of the plastic waste safely and make it useful.

On Tuesday, the Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on the occasion of Dussehra demonstrated how plastic waste can be turned into fuel.?

A 30-35 ft Ravana effigy made of plastic waste was disposed of mechanically, at the Ramlila grounds on Tuesday.

The demonstration was a part of the Swachhta Hi Sewa campaign where the plastic will be put in a cement kiln where the temperature is so high that it does not impact the environment and its residue will not be left.?

“Single-Use Plastics can be disposed in cement kilns and there will be no environmental issues as it uses high temperature where hazardous gases get absorbed. Very happy to hear about the plastic Ravana initiative on 8th October where CMA would showcase the process they are using to manage single-use plastic waste,” Shankar Mishra, Secretary of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs?said.

According to Aparna Dutt Sharma, Secretary-General, CMA, since the cement kilns generate such high amounts of heat, any kind of waste materials including plastic can be safely disposed of without generating any hydrocarbon emissions.?

"The plastic waste works as a fuel in the kiln and also helps in reducing the use of fossil fuels. Thus we are able to keep the environment clean and reduce dependence on traditional fuels," she said.

According to her several cement manufacturing units across the country have already begun using plastic waste in their kilns.?

BCCL

"52 cement manufacturing plants across the country have already begun using plastic waste in their kilns. The plastic waste is collected by the municipalities and is made available to the cement manufacturers," she said.

She, however, admitted that the process comes at a cost and not all the cement manufacturers are in a position to make the changes immediately.

"There are around 250 integrated cement manufacturing units in India. But only 52 of them are able to dispose of plastic waste. There are mechanisms that are required to be integrated into the system for this process to take place, and that comes at a cost," she said.

The MoHUA and CMA collectively conducted this initiative of plastic waste Ravana effigy across five cities in India, including Delhi, Noida, Lucknow, Raipur, and Ahmedabad on Tuesday.?