New black gold in Nigeria: Used car tires

Nigeria relies heavily on revenue from oil exports, which is seen as "black gold". And a businesswoman in this African country has just created a new kind of "black gold": used car tires.

Now, "new black gold" has appeared at the Freetown Waste Recycling Plant set up by Mrs. Ifedolapo Runsewe. The factory specializes in turning old tires into paving and paving bricks , among other items - to meet high consumer demand in Africa's most populous country, according to Reuters news agency.

A worker checks used tires - (Image: LIST23)

"Creating new products from waste materials is part of our driving force," Ms Runsewe told Reuters at her factory in the southwestern city of Ibadan.

Holding the paving brick, one of the company's best-selling products, Ms. Runsewe said: "We can create the entire value chain around old tires."

Waste management in Nigeria is very patchy. In villages, towns and cities, the usual scene is piles of garbage overflowing. People often burn them at night because of a lack of safer disposal methods. Tires are often thrown away.

The Freetown factory often relies on teams of bottlers that collect old tires from landfills. They are paid 70-100 naira ($0.17-0.24) per tire.

Old tires are waiting to be recycled at the Freetown Factory - (Image: REUTERS)

Another supply of used tires is sold directly to the factory by auto mechanics.

Akeem Rasaq, who owns a roadside auto repair shop, is delighted to earn money from old tyres. He shared: "Most of the old tires that go out clog the public sewers. However, things have changed now that the old tires have been used."

The Freetown factory started operations in 2020 with just 4 employees, and the growth rate is so fast that the workforce has now grown to 128 people.

To date, more than 100,000 tires have been recycled by the factory into everything from road speed bumps to soft playground floor tiles.

Houssam Azem, founder of the Lagos Jet Ski Club, which purchased tiles from the Freetown Factory for the flooring of the children's play area, said: "It is important for the government to support recycling plants. in our country. 

Old tires, an environmental nuisance, can be turned into a children's playground item. I think that benefits everyone ."

Process old tires into paving bricks and paving.