The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), alongside the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA), International Solid Waste Association – Africa, Mission Possible Partnership, and The Global Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council (WtERT) have released a joint industry statement on the role of co-processing in sustainable waste management.
Co-processing uses waste to replace fossil fuels in heating cement kilns, minimising actual waste in the cement-making process. Any remaining ashes are simultaneously recycled into the building material compound itself, making it a zero-waste solution.
The statement calls for stronger policy and regulatory support to unlock the full potential of co-processing. In particular, the joint statement asks governments and policymakers to:
- Recognise co-processing as a sustainable waste management method - providing
simultaneous energy recovery and material recycling - in waste policy frameworks;
- Incentivise collection, sorting and pre-treatment of waste at municipal level to
ensure quality and consistency of waste streams, encouraging recycling of the
recyclable material and the co-processing of non-recyclable material
- Enable environmental permit-issuing at the cement plants to get access to suitable
waste;
- Count the materials’ content (ash) effectively recycled through co-processing towards
national recycling targets;
- Provide fiscal incentives acknowledging the environmental benefits of co-processing
waste in a cement kiln to create a level playing field with other waste management
and energy options;
- Create public-private partnerships for co-processing to allow risk-sharing and ensure
long-term sustainability;
- Encourage knowledge transfer and policy alignment across regions to unlock the full
potential of co-processing as a sustainable waste management solution.
