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16. Waste management program at Cerro Matoso delivers environmental benefits and more
At our Cerro Matoso ferronickel smelter in the province of Cordoba, Colombia, solid residue is generated during the production process. Added to this is general waste produced in the course of operating the plant. To manage this waste, a project team at the plant has developed and implemented a waste handling and use program to encourage minimisation, facilitate recycling and ensure environmentally responsible disposal of unusable residue. The program has succeeded in raising environmental awareness among employees, contractors and visitors; adapting existing logistics and infrastructure to appropriately handle the waste; and delivering benefits to the local Montelíbano community.
Key components of the program, which was developed over two years with the assistance of the environmental team, were to design and implement an environmental awareness strategy, establish and put into effect the project logistics, and provide support to the community-based company responsible for the handling and use of waste materials.
The environmental awareness strategy centred on developing behavioural change among employees, contractors and also visitors, so that waste is appropriately classified at the point where it is generated. The strategy extended to encouraging the personnel handling the waste products to process the greatest volume of waste appropriately in order to obtain the greatest economic benefit.
With the program in place, 100 tonnes of scrap is recycled each month, along with 10 tonnes of waste (cardboard, paper, glass, plastic, metal). Up to 14 tonnes of organic waste is transformed into compost and 22 tonnes into pig feed each month. The profits from the utilisation of this recycled waste go to the San Isidro Foundation, which allocates the funds to community projects.
An additional social benefit is that the extra work undertaken by the company handling the waste provides around 40 jobs each month in Montelíbano.
Environmentally, waste volumes are minimised; and unusable waste is disposed of in such a way that there is no contamination of ground surfaces, underground water or the air. One of the initiatives in place is the use of covered evaporation cells to remove leachate from the sanitary landfill waste.
The project is a good example of how to involve the community in a program to responsibly manage waste while generating environmental and social benefits - and contributing to meeting the goal of sustainable development.
