Kuwait recycling 42 million dumped tyres

17 years of dumping has amassed a “tyre graveyard” over 42 million vehicle tyres in Kuwait. According to EuroNews.Green, this has resulted in clouds of toxic black smoke when set alight, creating an “immense environmental risk for residents”.

However, as of this September, efforts to move the tyres to al-Salmi, near the Saudi border, have been completed. Here, a plant run by the EPSCO Global General Trading recycling company will shred each tyre before pressing them into tiles and playground flooring. The plant has only been in operation since January 2021 but has plans to export to neighbouring countries across the Persian Gulf. The goal is to work through the tyres, recycling 3 million units each year.

“The factory is helping society by cleaning up the dumped old tyres and turning them into consumer products,” EPSCO partner and CEO Alaa Hassan commented.

The previous site of the tyre graveyard will now be turned into a “smart city” property development where 25,000 new homes will be built on the former rubber mountain. The 3.3 billion euro, 30-year project smart city project is part of a wider vision to transform the region into a hub for trade and tourism, cutting its dependency on oil money.