Dundee, Mich. (August 3, 2009) - Thanks to a collaborative approach, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Geocycle LLC and Holcim (US) Inc. have reduced the number of illegal tire piles in Oklahoma and provided a sustainable method of disposal.

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Illegal tire piles have historically been a liability to Oklahoma communities.? Illegal piles are health hazards as they provide breeding grounds for disease carrying rodents and mosquitoes.? Additionally these piles are known to catch fire releasing uncontrolled pollutants into the air.? Geocycle (US), Holcim (US) and the Oklahoma state government have worked collaboratively to ensure this threat to the community is minimized.

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In the past twelve months alone, Geocycle and Holcim (US) have disposed of over 38,000 scrap tires cleaned-up from illegal tire piles in addition to the regular flow of used tires.? The waste tires come from every county in the state, despite the fact that the Holcim cement kiln is located in the Southeastern side of Oklahoma, as clean-ups take place in every county.

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Since 1994, Oklahoma has achieved an impressive 160% decrease in illegal tire piles.? Geocycle is proud to have assisted in this reduction by coordination of logistics and tire processing, and provided these waste tires to the Holcim (US) cement plant in Ada, Oklahoma, used as an alternative fuel to coal for the manufacture of cement.

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Utilizing these tires in cement manufacturing helps not only local Oklahoma communities but also the environment and cement operations at Holcim (US).? Whole tires replace the need for traditional fuels, as coal, helping to reduce dependence on oil, and natural gas.? Whole tires are a cleaner fuel than coal because the material has already been processed eliminating many pollutants. The whole tires also provide a source of aluminum in cement manufacturing so less raw materials are used to produce the cement.

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About Geocycle US

Founded in 2002, Geocycle LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Holcim (US) Inc, offering sustainable solutions to waste management needs.? Our services include waste assessment, onsite services, freight management, and end-disposal of the waste through co-processing, a process that recovers both the mineral and energy content of the waste.? Annually Geocycle US helps keep over 1.65 million metric tonnes of waste from being disposed of in unsustainable ways.