400 tonnes of waste transported to cement factory

Tonnes of non-hazardous zero-value waste piled up inside the sprawling Golden Rock Railway Workshop here for several years is disposed of to the relief of the authorities.

Thanks to the agreement with UltraTech Cement Limited, a cement manufacturer with a factory in Ariyalur, the workshop authorities have been disposing of the waste to the unit in the last one-and-half months.

The workshop, which is engaged in myriad of activities, disposed of nearly 400 tonnes of piled up waste materials, which were transported to the cement major by goods carriers in batches.

The waste materials, generated at the workshop while carrying out periodic overhaul of passenger coaches and diesel locomotives, were being dumped within its huge premises close to the long peripheral wall.

With no concrete solution having been found for safe disposal until recently when the agreement with the cement manufacturer was signed, the zero-value waste in the form of cushions, rubber belts, rexin, berth covers and other rubber products only kept accumulating causing concern to the authorities.

The authorities say they could neither dump them at the Ariyamangalam dumping yard a few km away from the workshop since it was not permitted nor could they burn it as it would hugely pollute the environment.

As a result, the waste materials steadily kept mounting for the last two decades at the spot, said a senior official. The relief came a few months ago when the major cement player and the workshop entered into an agreement for disposal of 700 tonnes of non-hazardous zero value waste.

With nearly 400 tonnes of waste having been transported in goods carriers to the cement factory till now, the remaining 300 tonnes would be dispatched in the coming months, a senior official said. The factory would utilise the waste as an alternative fuel in its cement kilns. “The technical name given to it is co-processing,” said the official.

It would be burnt in a very high temperature, which would virtually leave behind no residue. The safe disposal mechanism was put in place by the workshop after obtaining clearance from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, said the official adding that the factory had received clearance from the Central Pollution Control Board for co-processing.

With the workshop engaged in periodic overhaul of passenger coaches and diesel locomotives, the authorities said plans were afoot to sign another agreement with the same cement player for disposal of 5,000 tonnes of waste.

The workshop had already written a letter to the factory and was awaiting a reply, said the official.