This year, INSEE Ecocycle celebrates two decades in its mission to become Sri Lanka’s foremost sustainable waste management and environmental services provider, towards a cleaner and greener Sri Lanka. Since 2003, INSEE Ecocycle has sustainably ma`naged over 1 million metric tons of industrial waste in collaboration with over 1,000 customers, including corporates, Government authorities at the central and local level, and recycling partners.
INSEE Ecocycle, INSEE Cement’s waste management arm, is a one-stop shop for total waste management solutions, from collection and pre-processing to sustainable co-processing in full compliance with all regulatory requirements. The company was the first to offer co-processing to Sri Lanka and has paved the path for sustainable waste management through its circular economy-based solution of cement kiln co-processing and other resource recovery-based waste management solutions.
“Co-processing in cement kilns is globally recognized as one of the preferred methods to safely dispose of a wide range of hazardous and non-hazardous materials. It also is a key driver of our sustainability ambition,” says Jan Kunigk, Chief Executive Officer of INSEE Cement Sri Lanka. “Through co-processing, we’ve reduced our dependency on virgin raw materials and lowered our carbon footprint by using mineral components from other industries, replacing 40% of fossil fuel generated energy in cement production. We are also helping significantly reduce the amount of waste ending up in Sri Lanka’s landfills.”
Through co-processing, alternate fuel and resources derived from waste are channeled into the production process, which burns as fuel and provides mineral components. Very high temperatures in the cement kiln burner and the long residence time create ideal conditions to completely destroy these materials with no harmful residues.
“A key achievement for Ecocyle over the years has been the expansion of our collaboration with local authorities to manage sorted non-recyclable and non-biodegradable municipal solid waste. We are working with over 100 municipal councils across Sri Lanka to collect, segregate, pre-process, and safely co-process municipal solid waste,” says Sujith Gunawardhana, General Manager of INSEE Ecocycle. “Each month, Ecocycle receives over 1,000 metric tons of municipal solid waste that would otherwise be in landfills, which is then channeled for co-processing in the INSEE Cement kilns.”
To mark the 20th anniversary of operations, INSEE Ecocycle partnered with the Marine Environment Protection Authority and Parley Sri Lanka to conduct a beach cleanup along the Dikkovita coastal area. Plastic and other non-degradable waste amounting to about half a ton were collected during the beach cleanup. The recyclable waste items were sent for recycling, whereas the sorted non-recyclable materials were channeled to co-processing through Ecocycle operations.
“The success of Ecocycle is a result of the hard work and commitment of every colleague that passed through our hallways over the last two decades. So, we were keen to mark our anniversary meaningfully, staying true to who we are. This beach cleanup embodies the commitments of our INSEE staff and our Build for Life ambition to work together as a team to do what is right in the best interest of the future,” added Sujith Gunawardhana, General Manager of INSEE Ecocycle.