Since becoming fully operational ten months ago, the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa) has processed 19 563 t of waste tyres, in an attempt to alleviate the significant environmental risk posed by waste tyres.
Redisa transporters would also remove tyre waste from about 853 tyre retailers nationally by the end of 2014, the organisation said in a statement this week.
“By servicing these tyre dealers, we will ensure that tyre waste is removed from the premises, transported to the depots and recycled into products of value,” Redisa CEO Hermann Erdmann said.
The first Redisa depots were opened in Midrand, in February, with 152 tyre dealers in Gauteng being serviced regularly.
Erdmann added that the organisation was excited by the positive environmental impact these depots would make nationally.
“Critical reduction will be made to the substantial amount of air pollution caused as a result of burning tyre waste. In addition, we expect a noteworthy decrease in hazardous chemicals leaching into the soil over time owing to decaying dumped tyres, which also result in vermin breeding grounds,” he said.
Redisa further pointed out that the demand to clear the country of waste was not only driven by environmental challenges, but was predominately determined by the requirement to create business and job opportunities for those in the informal sector.
The organisation expected to create 1 500 jobs in 2014, with about 10 000 jobs expected to be in place by 2017.
Redisa was also offering support to new and existing small, micro and medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurs and secondary businesses within the informal sector, which would, in turn, create even more job opportunities.