Taiwan: wastes recycle and reuse

Asia Cement strives for wastes reduction, recycle and reuse, the manufacturing processes of the Company and its subsidiaries do not generate hazardous business wastes. Furthermore, they all follow environmental protection laws, regulations and local county or city government’s regulations to reuse, dispose wastes and implement the necessary filing operation. The oursourced final disposal method is planned and implemented in accordance with the suitable situation in the local county and city where the plant is located. The impact analysis shows that the sources of the wastes of Asia Cement and its subsidiaries are mainly the wastes generated from operational activities, such as the maintenance and replacement of the manufacturing process or pollution prevention equipment, the consumable material for maintenance or the replacement of auxiliary material. Most of the generated wastes can be recycled and reused.
 

Asia Cement's Waste Recycling and Reuse

In terms of the self-processed recycle and reuse of wastes in the Plant, Hualien Plant processes the wastes from cement kilns in the Plant by itself, the major item is the waste firebricks in the kiln. The wastes processed outside of the Plant are mainly the recycled waste rubbers and metal pieces. The annual amount processed depends on the replacement works. Taking the year of 2021 as the baseline year, Asia Cement has set the target of waste recycle, reuse and reduction. Currently, Hualien Plant has added crusher to process circular economy alternative material, it plans to launch a program of reuse domestic wastes in the Plant and filing an application to local Environmental Bureau to move toward zero waste in the future.

The items outsourced by the subsidiaries for disposal (incineration, landfill) included the consumables and wastes relating to the manufacturing process or pollution prevention equipment. The subsidiaries, including Ya Tung Ready-mixed Concrete, Ya Li Precast and Nanhwa Cement, self-processed and recycled wastes from car wash plalform and manufacturing washing process into material for reuse. The outsourcing processed wastes for reuse were mainly waste tires and oil from operational activities of Fu Ming (Da) Transport. Other irregularly generated wastes from the operational activities of other subsidiaries were recycled and reused by legal waste recycle companies.

Resource Management of Asia Cement and its subsidiaries: Using recyclable and regenerated material

In 2023, Asia Cement used 370,932 tons of recycled material,5.7% of the total material; its subsidiaries used 1,153,630 1tons of recycled material, 14.4% of the total material; the use of recycled material is increased every year. Due to the characteristics of the industry, the proportion of renewable materials of ACC and its subsidiaries in packaging was very small, at approximately 3,032 tons, while the weight of non-renewable materials was 12,957,970 tons (excluding recycled materials).

1. Hualien Plant uses external recycled raw material and in-plant waste (refractory brick, etc.) as the alternative raw material of cement
2. Hsinchu Plant, Nanhua Cement Corp. and Ya Tung Ready-Mixed Concrete Corp are using desulfuration gypsum, blast furnace slag and fly ash as the alternative raw material
3. Nanhua Cement used the recyclable material of water quench blast furnace slag 100% in the grinding process of slag powder
4. Only Yuan Long Stainless Steel among Asia Cement and subsidiaries uses lining paper to protect its products due to their specific properties.