Holcim India, Ambuja Cements and ACC commission Geocycle Bubble Barrier project to remove plastic

Holcim India and its two companies Ambuja Cements and ACC commission their second Geocycle Bubble Barrier project to remove plastic in Himachal Pradesh

· The second bubble barrier will clean plastics from Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Lake located in Sunder Nagar, Himachal Pradesh.

· The first project was commissioned on Mantola Canal, Agra in April 2021 which has removed 500 tonnes of plastic waste from Yamuna River so far and aims to remove 2400 tonnes of plastic this year

· A bubble barrier technology is a non-invasive solution to stop plastic from entering the oceans and help make the BBMB Lake plastic-free

· Initiative to support Swachh Bharat movement of Government of India

Mumbai, 2nd March, 2022: Ambuja Cements and ACC Limited, through its in-house waste management arm, Geocycle continues to remove plastic waste by commissioning its second phase of bubble barrier technology in BBMB Lake located in Sunder Nagar, Himachal Pradesh. Bubble Barrier is a smart and non-invasive technology that is used to remove plastic from the water bodies, reducing the problem of marine plastic pollution in our country.

The Company has received a NOC from BBMB to install this innovative technology which will remove approximately 1500 tonnes per year of waste from the lake.

The BBMB Lake has been floating with light organic material which has been accumulated over the years resulting of choking at the discharge point of the lake. The Company’s Geocycle Bubble Barrier technology will not only collect plastic but also lighter materials like floating debris, organic wastes, etc. from the lake, thus, reducing the chances of choking.

This technology has been installed in Himachal Pradesh with ACC Gagal Plant, which will serve as the co-processing center for the plastic recovered from the lake. The aim of this project is to co-process only non-recyclable portion of the material collected, thus, moving it to the existing waste disposal site of Sunder Nagar. The recyclable plastics will be sent to recycling facilities, while the non-recyclable plastics will be taken to Geocycle’s facility for pre-processing followed by co-processing in ACC cement kilns at Gagal plant.

Neeraj Akhoury, CEO India Holcim and Managing Director & CEO of Ambuja Cements Ltd said, “We are committed to building a sustainable future by adopting clean and green technologies. Our efforts and expertise in co-processing has created a unique solution to sustainable disposal of the marine plastic waste that creates pollution. This initiative will also contribute towards promoting circular economy. Taking this mission ahead, we will continue our efforts to implement this innovative technology across the country.”

The collection of plastics from leaking into the rivers will help the local community around the plant. Furthermore, the Company has commissioned its pilot project in Agra which has already removed 500 tonnes of plastic waste from the Yamuna River. Recently, the Company has also received a NOC from Varanasi Municipal Corporation to install another bubble barrier technology.