REDISA raises concern over governance failures in South Africa’s waste tyre sector

SOUTH AFRICA – The Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA) has issued a formal appeal to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), calling for urgent intervention in what it describes as systemic governance failures within the country’s end-of-life tyre (ELT) management system.

According to REDISA, mismanagement has resulted in dangerously overcrowded waste tyre depots posing major environmental and public health risks nationwide.

REDISA CEO Hermann Jansen highlighted the severity of the situation by pointing to the 2023 fire at the Biesiesvlei depot in Lichtenburg, North West province.

The blaze caused extensive environmental damage and, he argued, should have served as a turning point for national oversight.

“Despite the dire warning of Lichtenburg, the North West and all other provinces remain threatened by dangerously overburdened depots,” Jansen said.

REDISA executive committee member Dr. Chris Crozier added that current enforcement efforts are disproportionately focused on storage rather than recycling.

“The depots are so full that recently the DFFE put out tenders for another 32 waste tyre depots, totalling a million square metres,” he said.

Crozier added that the DFFE’s latest annual report shows underspending on transport budgets because depots have run out of space to store tyres.

Compounding the issue, the department has reportedly issued tenders to auction off approximately R100 million (US$6.09m) worth of tyre-processing equipment meant to support pre-processing operations and generate revenue for the Waste Bureau.

“This is bluntly an admission of failure: they can’t deal with the tyres, and spent tens of millions on equipment that they can’t put to use,” Crozier stated.

REDISA estimates that South Africa generates at least 70,000 waste tyres per day. Overloaded depots are failing to follow safety protocols, leading to trucks being turned away and contributing to illegal dumping, which in turn heightens contamination, fire hazards, and community health risks.

The organization also claims that micro-collectors and small businesses, once integral to South Africa’s circular tyre economy, have been excluded under the Waste Bureau’s current administration model.

Before the government halted REDISA’s operations eight years ago, the scheme offered financial inclusion mechanisms for collectors, tracked collections digitally, and ensured tyres were directed to recycling.

Industry observers note that South Africa once held a leadership position in tyre recycling and circular resource management.

Today, REDISA warns that without immediate structural reform and transparent oversight, the country risks further environmental damage and a collapse of its ELT management value chain.

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