Kuwait solves the crisis of the largest car tire graveyard in the world

  • The tire dump will turn into a new residential city. AFP

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Kuwait seeks to convert the largest tire dump in the world into a new residential city.

The landfill area in the north of the country extends over two million square meters, and is located five kilometers from the Jahra Governorate.

It witnessed three major fires between 2012 and 2020 that almost caused a major environmental disaster, which prompted the authorities to close it.

After 17 years since more than 42.7 million tires have been accumulated in the landfill, the recycling of these tires will begin.

"We have moved from a difficult stage that was characterized by a great environmental risk," Kuwaiti Oil Minister Muhammad Al-Faris said Sunday at a ceremony held on the land of Mardam, which appeared completely empty of tires.

"Today, the area is clean and all tires have been moved to start the implementation of the Saad Al-Abdullah residential project," Al-Fares added.

Over the past few months, shipments on more than 44,000 trips have transported the tires to the Salmi area near the industrial area, where they will be temporarily stored.

Al-Fares stressed that "the storage process in the new area is temporary before tires are shredded and recycled for local use or export."

He explained that "the method of storage is carried out in the new site with international specifications, providing safety, security and speed of intervention and control in the event of any fire outbreak, whether it is an active act or as a result of high temperatures in the summer."

For his part, Director of the Environment Public Authority Sheikh Abdullah Al-Sabah told AFP that "the environmental authorities have drawn up a road map for recycling all car tires," stressing that they will not allow a new landfill to appear.

According to Sheikh Abdullah, "Today's factory recycles these tires, and we are seeking to find other manufacturers to contribute to ending the tire problem."

The CEO of Episco Company, Alaa Hassan, confirmed that her factory currently produces a lot of raw materials from car wheels, such as those used in asphalting and paving of roads or the manufacture of floors for playgrounds and walking fields.

She pointed out that her factory, which can recycle about two million car tires annually, will eventually, in the event of cooperation with other factories, remove the accumulation of car tires in any area in Kuwait.

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