When it comes to the global activity of professional tyre recycling processes, South Africa remains to be one of the leading countries in terms of how the highly important issues of safe disposal of old tyres is dealt with. Recycling has seen a resurgence due to the move for consumers to purchase new tyres instead of retreaded tyres due to competitiveness in the industry. This bodes well for the recycling industry as a whole even though a recent issue with the Recycling and Economical Development Initiative in South Africa (REDISA) may have caused a temporary hiccup.
As we get even closer to the next edition of Tyrexpo Africa 2018, which will be held once again in Johannesburg on 10-12 April, John Stone – PR Consultant to SingEx has taken an overall look at this aspect of the industry, particularly in the recent demise of REDISA.
REDISA, with its management company, Kusaka Taka Consulting, has been placed in liquidation with an order for the company’s assets to be transferred to South Africa’s Waste Management Bureau.
REDISA is recognized as the only approved waste tyre plant for the country and this development has understandably ‘rocked’ the South African tyre market. Nobuzwe Mangcu, the Managing Executive of the South African Tyre Manufacturing Conference (SATMC) states, “We now have to move forward and SATMC believes the liquidation of REDISA will be for the benefit of the industry in the long term. As long as the future management of waste tyres in South Africa is managed in a transparent way with accountability.” (Source: COKAYNE, 2017)
Jakkie Olivier, Chief Executive of The Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) which includes the Tyre Dealers and Fitment Centre Association (TDAFA) comments, “So far the liquidation of REDISA has not had any negative impact on waste tyre collections but the general feeling is that problems still exist at some tyre depots on how to dispose of waste tyres.”