Sustainable management of resources policy
Developed societies generate a large amount of waste: industrial, domestic, construction and demolition waste, etc. that needs to be adequately handled. The problems relating to waste management have received more and more attention from public administrations, companies and citizens due to the need to protect the environment. The European Union policies have aimed at minimizing waste production and the appropriate management of existing waste in line with the following hierarchy:
- Reduction: minimize waste production.
- Re-use: making use of waste.
- Recovery: providing a useful destination for waste by taking advantage of the material or energy resources contained in the waste.
- Disposal: associated with the elimination or destruction of the waste without recovering any of its energy content.
Although the priority goal with respect to waste is to minimize its production, the reality is that waste disposal is a common practice and not always under the best conditions. To avoid this, recycling and energy recovery are currently the routes with the greatest real potential, from a technical, environmental and economic standpoint.
Cement plants offer an opportunity in this sense, as the characteristics of their manufacturing process allow them to recycle and recover various types of waste under optimal technical and environmental conditions. With the provision of this service, the industrial activity of cement production makes a major contribution to the environment and to society.
The three main lines of action for resource management are:
- Investments and modifications in the manufacturing processes to reduce the energy consumed per tonne of cement.
- Conducting studies and designing plans for sustainable operation of quarries and the environmental restoration.
- Recycling and recovery of waste under conditions ensuring the protection of the environment, the safety of the workforce and other residents, and the quality of the cement produced.
In order to analyze in depth the current context and the level of implementation of energy recovery in Spain, Oficemen is collaborating with the Cema Foundation in the seminar on sustainable development and recycling to be held in different provinces in Spain. these seminars are a meeting point for all the social players involved (workers, public administrations, residents, scientists and companies) as well as a discussion forum encouraging communication and highlighting the advantage of energy recovery.
