Nearly 42 million tyres are set to be turned into floor tiles and other useful products in a huge expanse of sand near a residential neighbourhood in Kuwait.
Event Location
Kuwait, Kuwait
Start Time
08 September 2021, 12:00 AM
End Time
30 September 2021, 12:00 AM
More than 42 million old vehicle tyres dumped in Kuwait's sands have started to be recycled, as the Gulf state tackles a waste problem that created one of the world's largest tyre graveyards.
Scrap tyres are a major environmental problem worldwide due to their bulk and the chemicals they can release.
Not only unpleasant to look at, the smoke and noxious fumes from continual blazes were also making life difficult for local residents. The massive dump site was a mere 7 km (4 miles) from a residential suburb.
As kuwait wants to build 25,000 new houses on the site, moved all of the tyres to a new location at Al Salmi, near the Saudi border, where recycling efforts have begun.
The EPSCO global general trading recycling company, sort and shred scrap tyres, before pressing the particles into rubbery coloured flooring tiles.
"The factory is helping society by cleaning up the dumped old tyres and turning them into consumer products," said EPSCO partner and CEO Alaa Hassan from EPSCO, adding they also export products to neighbouring Gulf countries and Asia.
The EPSCO plant, which began operations in January 2021, can recycle up to 3 million tyres a year, the company said
Kuwait's tyre graveyard recycle
