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When it comes to sustainability, Lafarge is an industry leader in the recycling and reuse of manufacturing waste and select consumer waste previously destined for the landfill.
Many years ago, a landfill was a sad and disgusting place. Mounds of trash riddled with broken glass, discarded tires, roofing materials and other waste products were unceremoniously buried deep in the earth and emitted noxious odors and putrid liquids. And as more and more trash was buried and landfills became ever more expensive to construct, the available landfill spaces became smaller and fewer.
Today's landfills have evolved into organized distribution centers, where much of the materials are sorted, recycled and reused as feedstock to create new products. Much less is buried and, equally important, there is now less reliance on natural resources like alumia, iron, coal, coke, and oil.
Lafarge can helps to protect the environment by diverting these materials away from the landfill and reusing them as fuel and filler material. In fact, various kinds of waste materials can be recycled for re-use in Lafarge Cement, Asphalt and Gypsum products. |
Lafarge in Buchanan, New York – case studyAt the Lafarge Buchanan Gypsum Plant in New York, Lafarge signed an agreement with Mirant Corporation to supply synthetic gypsum to the Buchanan plant beginning in 2010. As a result, the plant will be upgraded to accept synthetic gypsum which is a material otherwise discarded and thrown into a landfill. The supply agreement will ensure a cost-effective raw material source well into the future. Upon completion of the upgrade, Buchanan's gypsum wallboard will exceed 99% recycled content by weight and qualify towards attainment of LEED"R" credits and the construction of "Green Buildings" throughout the northeastern United States. |
