Visions for the near future: General Waste Segregation in TCO

Tengizchevroil LLP is a leader amongst Kazakhstani enterprises that deal with general waste treatment, recycling and re-use. Key principles of TCO waste management system is reduction of potential negative environmental impact by system approach to waste minimization, efficient waste handling and increase of re-use and recycling. They system is in compliance with both RoK Law and international waste management standards.

TCO's waste management system is based on waste handling priorities, which are represented in the pyramid below in picture 1. The highest priority is given to minimize waste generation followed by waste treatment and recycling, incineration and landfilling.

Picture 1. Waste Management Hierarchy

Nowadays, TCO exercises efficient third party waste stewardship process, re-use and thermal treatment of some waste streams including batteries, e-waste, plastic wastes, spent oil, mercury containing lamps, liquid chemicals and sludge. In 2013 more than 21 000 tons of waste was treated and disposed of by third parties, which is about 50 % of total volumes of potentially to-be-landfilled wastes. Municipal solid waste sorting machines are environmentally friendly and cost effective amongst many modern waste disposal technologies.

Approximately 40% of to-be-landfilled wastes are biodegradable and major part of them can be re-used. Thus, our intention is implementation of a sorting facility in order to increase treatment, re-use and reduce the volumes of to-be-landfilled wastes.

Sorting Facility project is at the detailed engineering phase. By 4Q of this year, the custom-built sorting facility will be delivered to Tengiz. Construction is expected in early 4Q, 2014.

Process Description: Solid municipal waste will be delivered by dump trucks to a sorting facility, where a special concrete area is arranged for acceptance. The first stage is a segregation of oversize fractions by excavator followed by loading the wastes to a feeder with a front loader. The feeder is equipped with conveyor belts that transport the wastes to a section of manual segregation. Waste segregation (paper, plastic, glass etc.) is carried out by manpower located on both sides of the conveyor belt. Separated components such as plastic, waste paper etc will be sent to a collecting bin. After the segregation of the valuable components, residuals are sent to a drum-type separator for segregation of small fractions from medium sized ones. Small fractions will be used to cover landfills; big fractions will be landfilled at MSW landfill. Picture 2 shows a general view of the sorting facility.

Segregated material (paper, cardboard, plastic & glass) will be handed over to third parties for treatment, which reduces the volumes of to-be-landfilled wastes roughly by more than two thirds. It also decreases amount of raw materials retrieved for production of packages, creates additional scope for waste treatment enterprises in Kazakhstan, consequently enhancing Kazakhstani content that provides various services to TCO.

Picture 2. Sorting facility.

TCO intends improving the current waste management system in accordance with "Green Economy" concept, which means environmental stewardship, waste minimization by treatment or recycling/reuse.