Environmental Impact
South Africa faces a growing crisis of waste tyres that are often dumped illegally, stockpiled in open areas, or burned. Rubber Refectory is designed to address this challenge by converting waste tyres into high-value construction materials, reducing pollution, and supporting healthier communities.
The Tyre Waste Problem
It is estimated that around 900,000 tonnes of waste tyres have accumulated in South Africa, with approximately 11 million additional waste tyres generated every year. Many of these tyres end up in informal dumps, wetlands, and open fields rather than being processed through formal recycling channels.
When tyres are dumped or stockpiled, they collect stagnant water, become breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes, and create serious fire risks. Burning tyres releases toxic smoke and pollutants that harm air quality, soil, and water.
Health Risks
Pools of water trapped in discarded tyres can support large mosquito populations, which in turn increase the risk of vector-borne diseases such as malaria. In the Western Cape alone, there were around 253 malaria cases in the 2022–2023 period, highlighting the ongoing health burden.
Fires at tyre dumps produce dense black smoke containing hazardous compounds. These pollutants can travel long distances, affecting respiratory health, contaminating soil and water, and damaging ecosystems. Managing tyres responsibly is therefore both an environmental and public health priority.
Recycling Benefits & Circular Economy
By transforming end-of-life tyres into durable rubber bricks and barrier systems, Rubber Refectory helps close the loop on a historically problematic waste stream. Instead of ending up in dumps or being burned, tyres are shredded, processed, and converted into long-lived infrastructure products.
This approach supports South Africa's circular economy goals by:
- Reducing the volume of tyres requiring disposal.
- Extending the useful life of materials extracted from tyres.
- Creating local jobs in collection, processing, and manufacturing.
- Substituting some conventional construction materials with recycled alternatives.
Carbon Footprint & Climate Resilience
Recycling tyres can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding uncontrolled burning and reducing the need for some energy-intensive virgin materials. While full life-cycle assessments are complex, the principle is clear: keeping tyres in productive use is preferable to open dumping or incineration.
Products such as StormEnforcer flood barriers also contribute to climate resilience by helping communities and municipalities manage flood risks associated with more extreme weather events.
Policy & Regulatory Alignment
Rubber Refectory is aligned with South Africa's evolving environmental policy framework, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, and broader Green Economy strategies. These frameworks emphasise responsible waste management, recycling of priority wastes such as tyres, and the creation of green jobs.
By building a comprehensive tyre-to-rubber-brick facility in the Western Cape, Rubber Refectory aims to partner with government, industry, and communities to deliver tangible environmental, social, and economic benefits.