Pakistan-based DG Khan Cement has installed a municipal solid waste processing plant to meet its energy needs at low cost. The plant has a capacity to process 25 tonne of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day. MSW is collected from Lahore and other cities through NGOs and is then processed to clean it of mud, sand and stones. He said that the remaining waste containing plastic bags, household items thrown as trash are shredded in a machine. Since the British thermal units (BTU) value of MSW is lower than coal, 2.5 tonne of MSW replaces one tonne of coal. The shredded MSW is then mixed with other sources of alternate energy like corn cob wheat straw and wood dust and then taken to the kiln for burning. "We have replaced 30 per cent of coal with alternate fuels including MSW. This way we are daily saving $ 4,290. The yearly saving of foreign exchange comes to $ 1.45 million as the plant runs for over 340 days a year," informed Dr Arif Bashir GM of Works DG Khan Cement.