New RDF rules for Indian cement plants

Detailed guidelines recently finalised for India’s Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 will see cement factories within 400km of RDF plants have to ensure that the material constitutes at least five per cent of their fuel supply. "In this arrangement, cement industries will have to pay the transportation cost of the first 100km, while urban bodies will have to pay for the remaining 300km," said VK Jindal, joint secretary and mission director of Swachh Bharat Mission. Mr Jindal noted that most municipalities will not have the funds to provide this service. "If urban local bodies cannot pay for this, then there is a provision for cement industries to utilise their Corporate Social Responsibility funds to pay for transportation," he said. This could impact cement plants due to high transportation costs, with the cost of transportation to factories in north Karnataka reaching as high as INR2500/t (US$33.68/t).