Cleaning up a tyre mountain - 24th September 2021

Kuwait is transforming a tyre graveyard into a new residential city. After 17 years of use, the mammoth dump contained over 40 million tyres.

Covering more than two square kilometres, the site suffered two major fires and raised widespread environmental concerns. This prompted the authorities to shut the place down for good.

Kuwait’s Environment Public Authority Director General and Chairman, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, has taken responsibility for the tyres' disposal.

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah: "We will not allow any tyres to be buried in the future. They will all get recycled and we will do what is necessary to put all waste in the country on the road map for recycling in the Salmiya area."

Removing the 44,000 lorry loads of tyres has involved months of work. Relocated close to Kuwait's industrial area, their new storage conditions reduce risk of fires and conform to international standards. The location makes the tyres more accessible for recycling, with the Kuwaiti government determined that none end up in landfill sites.

Alaa Hassan’s CEO of EPSCO Global General contracting, which is involved in the repurposing of the tyres.

Alaa Hassan: "The factory produces several materials, including tiles, materials used in playgrounds, materials used in walking tracks and those used in infrastructure."

The firm has the capacity to repurpose two million tyres a year. It's hoped more will come on board with inventive solutions for Kuwait's redundant rubber.

Following the removal of the tyre graveyard, its site can be reborn as the Saad Al-Abdullah City project rises from the desert.