Ford Australia Steers Plant Sludge to Cement Maker
The Broadmeadows facility now recycles 56% of its paint sludge, and Ford expects to reduce the remaining 44% by half.
Ford Australia sends less paint sludge to landfills by shipping it to a company that uses it as an alternative source of fuel in the cement-making process.
The first sludge shipment went in August to Australian waste specialist Geocycle’s processing facility in Dandenong, Victoria, and shipments of about 11 tons (10 t) a month continue to leave the Ford site.
Ford Oz plant builds Falcon, recycles paint sludge.
Geocycle is a subsidiary of Cement Australia, one of the country’s leading suppliers of cement and related products and services.
Its core business is processing flammable and hazardous waste.
The sludge is a byproduct of the paint process at Ford’s Broadmeadows plant. It previously was transported off-site for processing and eventual disposal at a licensed landfill.
Some 56% of the sludge now is recycled and 44% is landfilled.
Ford Australia President and CEO Bob Graziano says he expects the auto maker to halve the amount of paint sludge going to landfill once the recycling program is fully implemented.
Ford Australia is working to “seek out solutions with companies like Geocycle to minimize our impact on the environment,” he says in a statement.
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