The Recycling Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa), which has been managing the collection and disposal of waste tyres for the last ten months, has been well received by recyclers who recognise that they can get good-quality waste tyre feedstock from the initiative and by municipalities wanting to remediate tyre dumps, says Redisa director Stacey Davidson.

South Africa produces about 240 000 t/y of waste tyres and Redisa places demand for waste tyres at about 1.3-million tons a year, based on submissions made through the request for proposal process due to close at the end of April. Most waste tyres, about 42%, are derived from passenger vehicles and about 30% are derived from trucks and buses, with the remaining 28% coming from large-scale operations, such as mines.

“What was previously a waste problem with no value and no demand, which was burned or dumped, is now in demand – owing to the approval of the Redisa plan, which enables a management fee collected from tyre manufacturers and importers to be used to develop a collection, storage and recycling network. Municipalities can now get rid of tyre dumps while providing stimulation for a recycling industry in South Africa,” she says.

Thus far, 18 085 t of waste tyres have been remediated, 669 transporters have been regis- tered and 1 515, or 97%, of tyre dealers have registered to have waste tyres removed from their premises at no cost. A total of 184 tyre man- ufacturers and importers subscribe to the plan.

Redisa is still in the implementation phase and is focusing on the capacities available at existing recyclers, the transportation networks for waste tyres and where new recyclers are needed. However, Redisa has seen improved understanding and support for the initiative among recyclers and municipalities.

“We have doubled the number of registered tyre dealers since the end of last month. We are noticing significantly more interest in the initiative and the Redisa model is currently proving to be viable for making this waste resource valuable enough to prevent the dumping or burning of tyres,” says Davidson.

Further, the main focus of the Redisa initiative is to create sustainable employment opportunities and provide business support to create sustainable businesses.

“We are working closely with the Department of Trade and Industry to ensure that the cooperative model is supported and funding mechanisms are accessible to Redisa-approved cooperatives. Our current focus is on gaining a better understanding of the full value chain of a tyre recycling industry and of the necessary transportation networks, as well as ensuring that each business and the associated jobs we create are sustainable,” adds Davidson.

The Redisa model makes provision for financial, technical and business support for applicants and registered companies to help them overcome regulatory hurdles and ensure that their business models are sustainable, she emphasises.

Meanwhile, with a requirement that all companies registered be 51% black-owned, Redisa reports that it has recently approved an additional 12 recyclers to ensure that the capacity to deal with waste tyres is available.

“We are also considering economically viable ways of recycling the large tyres found in heavy industries such as mining. These tyres can weigh up to 6 t and are difficult to transport. Redisa is in the process of acquiring technology to provide a solution to deal with these tyres,” concludes Davidson.