Wastewater reduction scheme wins award

An innovative scheme to reduce the amount of water used at a cement works in Staffordshire has won an award from the Environment Agency.

Lafarge Cement developed a project which substantially reduced its annual water usage. In 2006, the company needed 290,000 cubic metres of water. This had fallen to 15,000 cubic metres two years later.

Judges at the Water Efficiency Awards were particularly impressed with the significant water savings as well as the way in which the initiative's success was communicated throughout the business.

The Lafarge scheme saw the company replace the abstraction of water from a nearby river with a closed system.

Water is stored in a shale lake and recirculated internally for use by the cement works. Not only does this reduce the amount of water used, it has also cut flood risks in the local area and will allow any potential pollution from the site to be contained effectively.

Lafarge has been operating in the UK construction industry since 1987. The company is the market leader in cement, in addition to holding the top spot for aggregates, plasterboard and concrete.

Posted by Lauren Steadman