Polaris shredder helps Geocycle manage waste in Mexico

Mexico produces 100,000 metric tons of waste per day, but Geocycle, headquartered in Switzerland, hopes to reduce this number. The company, which is a worldwide waste management firm that is an affiliate of Lafarge Holcim, recently added a Polaris 2200 shredder from Austria-based Lindner-Recyclingtech GmbH to its operations last spring in Orizaba, Mexico. 

The Polaris shredders are highly specialized industrial machines for one-step waste processing and subsequent coprocessing in the precalciner, according to a news release from Lindner. Economic factors play an important role in this regard. To keep production costs low and uptimes high, Lindner says it has engineered a sturdy shredder with the company’s belt drive and robust machine components. 

“Our clear goal is to ensure the planet is clean,” says Esteban Heredia, operations manager at Geocycle Mexico. “Sustainability is also of paramount importance to our parent company Lafarge Holcim and that’s why we were looking for a smart, universally deployable solution to recover this municipal solid waste (MSW) in our cement works in an environmentally friendly way. 

“A year ago, we opted for this one-step processing solution from Lindner and their Mexican sales partner, GTA Ambiental,” he continues. “Thousands of tons of alternative fuels later, we are now aiming to increase our capacities.”

The Polaris machine also helps improve final output. “Cement manufacturing is a very energy-intensive process,” Heredia adds. “To achieve the required high temperatures in the most ecologically beneficial and consistent way possible, quality and specific characteristics, such as an exact particle size, are essential. To guarantee high-quality cement, we must provide the perfect fuel, too. With Lindner and GTA Ambiental’s solution we have found the best technology for us.”