Synopsys of the Story
Geocycle working towards building a plastic-free Agra with the support of its municipality. The second project to be installed on Varuna River in Varanasi
Recognizing the need to address the challenge of marine plastic pollution, Geocycle India, the in-house waste management arm of Ambuja Cements Limited and ACC Limited, has been making ongoing efforts to collect and co-process the plastic waste in the country.
The pilot project Geocycle Bubble Barrier was commissioned on Mantola Canal in April 2021. It has been running successfully and has thwarted 500 tonnes of plastic waste leakage in the Yamuna River so far. The collected plastic waste will be co-processed within Ambuja and ACC plants.
In its endeavors to support the plastic-free Agra mission, this successful pilot, being fully supported by the Agra municipality, has been a pioneering step from Ambuja and ACC. The waste collected from the riverbank, as well as waste from Agra’s MRF (Material Recovery Facility), has been safely transported by Geocycle for safe re-purposing in the nearby plants of Ambuja and ACC.
Nikhil Funde, Municipal Commissioner, Agra, said, “Installation of Geocycle Bubble Barrier is one of the most important initiatives being implemented to tackle plastic waste in Agra. It has helped Agra Municipal Corporation to stay committed to its goal of making Agra plastic-free.”
With the success of the first pilot – Geocycle Bubble Barrier, the second project is already in the planning phase which will be installed in Varanasi. The equipment will be installed on the Varuna River, right before the confluence point of Varuna and Ganges. The project is in the final phase for data collection, and scope finalization with the local municipality.
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 waste management arm Geocycle India has been our pillar in driving these initiatives and has helped us to co-process and reuse industrial wastes. Taking this mission ahead, we shall continue to recover energy safely and recycle material value inherent in waste, leaving zero residues. ”
Additionally, Ambuja is also exploring establishing another Bubble Barrier in the state of Gujarat and managed within our Ambuja Nagar. This will help the local community around the plant by collecting plastics leaking into the rivers.
