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Sustainable Development

Introducing alternative fuels

The high temperatures required in cement kilns make them ideal for safely disposing of some of society's wastes, recovering energy in the process. This not only provides a suitable and necessary alternative to landfill, but also reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and our resulting contribution to climate change.

As described in this section, we have successful examples of alternative fuel use. However, local residents often have concerns about possible implications to their health and local environment, and this can make it difficult to use tires and other waste as fuel. We take all concerns about our operations very seriously, and work closely with local communities and regulators to explain our aims and ensure we understand each other's point of view.

The technology used in modern cement kilns makes it possible to use waste as fuel, while keeping air emissions well within safe levels. This is clearly demonstrated by our experience at our Rugby plant in the UK, where 40 million tires are scrapped every year because it is illegal to landfill them. The plant received a permit to use chipped tires as fuel in 2007 following detailed trials and three years of extensive consultation with a wide range of organizations, community groups, and neighbors. Use of chipped tires at Rugby has since more than doubled, and there has been a 40% reduction in emissions of nitrogen oxides.

We continue to engage with communities and regulators in other locations to help us expand our use of alternative fuels, reduce our emissions, and help to solve society's waste disposal problem. We have corporate guidelines for the introduction and handling of alternative fuels and raw materials in cement kilns to complement local regulation, or serve as a substitute where no regulation exists.

Last Update: April 2010