Ireland: Irish Cement is planning to cut the amount alternative fuels it intends to co-process at its Limerick cement plant to 90,000t/yr. The cement producer withdrew its initial planning application in March 2016 but has resubmitted a new application with a lower amount of alternative fuels, according to the Limerick Leader newspaper. It now aims to burn half of the original amount that was originally requested.

It originally announced its Euro10m plan to co-process alternative fuels including tyres at the plant in December 2015. The investment is intended to create 40 jobs. However, local citizens have opposed the plans with over 450 people signing a petition against the development.

UK: David Palmer-Jones, chief executive of Suez recycling and recovery, has warned that if the UK left the European Union (EU) it would be bad for the country’s waste and recycling sector.

“Leaving the EU would be detrimental to the environmental services sector because the EU is the driving force behind much of the environmental policy and legislation which enables companies like Suez to invest in new services and infrastructure,” said Palmer-Jones. “Should the UK referendum be decided in favour of a Brexit and the UK leave the EU, there is a clear risk that the current EU-led policy drives towards creating a circular economy within the UK will stall or even move back a step, which in turn could have a negative impact on future investment decisions into UK infrastructure.” He added that a UK exit from the EU would cause infrastructure investment in the waste and recycling sector to be re-evaluated.

An inquiry by the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) on environmental policy in the EU and its effects in the UK was published on 19 April 2016. It looked at what the implications might be for the UK if it left the EU. It found that the ‘overwhelming view’ of witnesses across the sector was that EU membership has been positive for the UK environment. However, one member of the committee, Tory MP Peter Lilley accused the environmental groups who gave evidence of having vested interests because they received EU funding, according to the Press Association.

Mexico: Miguel Angel Mancera, the mayor of Mexico City, has inaugurated the second phase of Iztapalapa II municipal solid waste (MSW) plant. The site will process 400t/day of MSW. Once processed the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) will be used by Cemex for co-processing in its cement plant kilns.

Colombia: Cementos Argos has agreed a deal with the local government of Bogotá to use 2.5 million tyres as fuel for cement production. The cement producer’s Puerto Triunfo plant in Antioquia can co-process 20,000t/yr of tyres or about 1.5 million tyres, the president of Cementos Argos Juan Esteban Calle said to local press.