Jun 03, 2025 Hermann Erdmann, REDISA, Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa NPC
REDISA welcomes withdrawal of flawed waste tyre plan
Comment by Hermann Erdmann, CEO of REDISA
The Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa NPC (REDISA) welcomes the decision by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Dr Dion George, to withdraw the Industry Waste Tyre Management Plan (IndWTMP). REDISA has publicly called for this materially flawed and self-defeating plan to be scrapped since it started legal proceedings against the plan in September 2024.
Minister Dion George has made a rational decision and should be commended for taking the right action to resolve an issue he inherited. REDISA is committed to cooperating fully with all parties and will be writing to the Minister to request a meeting to discuss how best to manage the waste tyre crisis in the country.
The IndWTMP was never going to be an effective solution to South Africa's waste tyre crisis. In court documents, REDISA set out how the IndWTMP had unachievable and unrealistic targets, lacked any budget detail, failed to use the information and projections that were available, and was created and approved in a procedurally flawed manner. South Africa produces at least 253 000 tonnes of waste tyres per year. This waste is being mismanaged by the Waste Bureau under the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment. Apart from the public health threats caused by the uniquely toxic character of waste tyre pollution, the mismanagement is also a lost opportunity for the South African economy, because, through a well-coordinated recycling process, economic development and job creation can be strengthened considerably.
The Minister's decision to abandon the current IndWTMP because, as he stated, "concerns have been raised regarding its alignment with current sector realities and policy intent", is therefore good news, not just for the South African environment, but also for job creation through recycling in South Africa.
REDISA is eager to work with government departments and other stakeholders to make sure the waste tyre crisis is addressed. From 2013 to 2017 REDISA, a non-profit company, managed waste tyres in South Africa. It built 22 tyre collection centres, employed more than 3 000 people, created 226 small waste enterprises, and offset 59 000 tons of CO2 emissions. It empowered unskilled workers and stimulated emerging entrepreneurs.
REDISA has the technical and policy experience to play a significant role in turning the waste tyre crisis into a viable form of economic empowerment, because it has done this before.
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