New technology for waste tyres

The Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa), has started to roll out the use of balers at two of its 23 operational depots – the first time that balers are being used for waste tyre management in Africa.

Stacking and transporting waste tyres is particularly difficult, due to their size and weight. Balers are assisting this process by ensuring that the tyres can be easily loaded, transported and stored.

This is achieved by compressing the waste tyres into blocks, which are easily loaded with a forklift, and stacked on transporter trucks. The increased space means that a truck can take 34 t of baled tyres, as opposed to 15 to 18 t of unprocessed tyres.

Viability of the depots rests on the ability to function as effectively as possible. Depots with balers have the benefit of including more waste tyres in a single load – ultimately reducing carbon emissions, as fewer loads are required. The depots’ capacity to take on additional tyres is also increased and significantly less storage space required, resulting in smaller, more easily managed and more central premises.

Currently, balers are running at the Vissershoek and Pretoria East depots. Four more balers were brought into the country at the end of September for use in Durban, Ladysmith, Pretoria and Bloemfontein, and plans are in place to roll out more around the country at a later stage.