The National Waste Tyre Collection Process

The vision of this project is to collect as many of the waste tyres generated in South Africa annually as possible. Private industry recyclers will share the raw material thus gathered and convert it to commercially viable rubber crumb or other articles for sale. Other uses of the waste tyres collected, such as energy conversion and engineering applications, are also possible.

The collection process will be phased in throughout the country, starting in year 2006 after the promolgation of the planned legislation to empower the process.

 A.   The Proposed Tyre Collection Process.  

All the tyre stakeholders in SA including the Manufacturers, Importers, Retreaders, Dealer principals, TDAFA, and other interested parties (NAAMSA, DEAT, DTI, DWAF, NUMSA, metropolitan councils etc) have been involved in the planning of the process for the collection of the waste tyres and their delivery to the waste tyre users. Extensive press and radio coverage has been done.

The proposed process is as follows:

1.     Section 21 Company.

The Suppliers (manufacturers, importers and retreaders) of tyres to the local South African tyre industry have formed a Section 21 Company (non profit operation) to implement and manage the future collection process. All Stakeholders are constantly being consulted and numerous publications have appeared in the general press throughout the country.

2.         Provincial collection agency

Provincial collection agencies will be contracted by the Section 21 Company to arrange for the collection and transportation of the waste tyres from registered tyre Dealers and Retreaders to the waste tyre users.

No money will be paid for scrap tyres collected.  

The Dealers and Retreaders will be required (by DEAT) to mutilate all waste tyres, making them unsuitable to be fitted to a vehicle, before consigning them to a registered waste tyre collector.

B.           Defrying collection costs

A levy will be raised by the tyre Manufacturers, Retreaders and Importers to cover the cost of the tyre collection process.

The Section 21 Company will calculate the amount required to operate the process and translate this to a cost per tyre. It is proposed that the tyre  Manufacturers and Importers will add this charge as a separate line item on the invoice for new tyres to the Dealer. No charge will be made on retreaded tyres. The tyre Dealer could pass the charge onto the consumer, without adding a profit margin. 

VAT is payable on the charge. The charge will be widely publicised. The charge will be instituted a few months before the actual collections start in order to build up a fund for the collection process.

An audit company will be appointed to verify the financials of the stakeholders. Annual reports will be made to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

Casings imported for retreading will be subject to a charge, payable by the importer. This is because these casings add to the waste stockpile accruing in SA. This fee will be absorbed in the cost of retreading the imported casing and in the selling price to the end-user. 

Discussions are being held with vehicle and equipment manufacturers, Government Tender Board and other bulk tyre consumers, that buy directly from the tyre suppliers, to recover a Environmental charge and link it into the above collection processes.

This process is in line with best practice and environmental concepts for sustainable development throughout the world.

C.   Legislation

Numerous benefits, with far reaching effects, will be derived with the introduction of this project.
The obvious benefits are:

 1.          Creating a new Industry

An extende industry of collecting and recycling waste rubber will be established. At present, there are approximately 12 plants in the country using waste tyres and rubber crumb. 

New investors are planning an additional 5 to 20 plants once the project is established. 

Cement kilns and the like, once converted to accept waste rubber as part of their fuel source, will remain a constant consumer of waste tyres. 

All waste tyre users will have to comply to national environmental standards as per DEA&T requirements.

 2.          Exports.

Rubber crumb and products made from recycled rubber could be exported in the future. This new business will add to the economy of SA and grow as the processes improve and new markets are developed. The SA Balance of Payments will benefit accordingly. There are approximately 250 products that can be made from recycled rubber. Examples are: rubber matting, shoes, tank linings, rubber moldings, road tar additions etc.

3.        Pollution reduction

Four major pollution problems will be eliminated once the collection process is in place:

i.    Water retention and mosquitoes - Tyres form an ideal receptacle for water, which remains there for long periods, becoming ideal breeding grounds for insects including mosquitoes. Different strains of malaria are spreading throughout the country. Spraying these tyres is costly and ineffective.

ii.            Fire – A large stockpile of waste tyres forms a serious fire hazard and once burning, is virtually impossible to extinguish.

iii.          Smoke – Acrid smoke generated from tyres burnt, to recover the scrap steel content, causes respiratory problems, pollution of the air and surfaces and forms a hazard for aircraft landing at major airports and for road traffic.

iv.        Waste tyre stockpiles – Unsightly stockpiles reduce the value of property.      

4.       Road Safety.

DoT  report that up to 53% of vehicle component failure accidents are caused by tyre failure. Many vehicles on the SA roads have a problem with its tyres. The use of second hand tyres is considered the biggest contributor. Owners of tyres discard them as being either worn or damaged. These are collected, patched or re-grooved and fitted by unscrupulous traders to vehicles  often with fatal results. These tyres burst after short use and people are killed in the process. The root of this problem will be removed once the waste tyre collection starts.

       All Tyre Dealers, Retreader, Recyclers and other Waste tyre users are requested to apply for registration with the SATRP Company to assist with the planning model.

More information can be obtained from