In a huge effort to tackle the country’s waste problem, 42 million discarded tyres will be recycled, making space for the creation of an eco-friendly residential city.
When anything unnatural can easily be spotted from space, that’s when you know it’s become a real problem.
This became the case when over the course of seventeen years, an area spanning 2 square kilometres became a primary dumping ground for old automobile tyres in Kuwait – a site so big, it could be captured by satellites.
Described as a ‘tyre graveyard’ neighbouring closely to a residential suburb, the site would often catch fire, emitting noxious black smoke that wafted into surrounding areas – causing concerns about potential health and environmental risks.
After months of brainstorming for a solution, Kuwait has taken action to rid the space of tyres for good. It recently completed a massive clean-up of the dumpsite and has since announced plans to use the land to build a completely new city.
I thought you might ask! In a mammoth-like relocation project, 500 trucks were used to make 44,000 trips from the landfill, carrying tyres to a facility near the Saudi border called al-Salmi.
Not long ago, in January 2021, a recycling facility was opened in al-Salmi by EPSCO Global General Trading. This facility alone has the capacity to recycle an estimated three million tyres annually.
Here, Kuwait’s old tyres will be shredded by employees and the remaining rubbery particles will be pressed into soft tiles. These tiles can be used as indoor gym flooring or outdoor playgrounds, both locally or as exports.
Being sure to use as much of the discarded rubber as possible, other raw materials from the tyres will be extracted and utilised for paving roads and sidewalks.
With plans to open more recycling factories already in the works, the government hopes that al-Salmi will become a hub for speeding up sustainability, in particular for the safe repurposing of old, otherwise pollutant tyres.
With the dumpsite finally cleared, Kuwait’s government has announced exciting plans to build the Middle East’s first ‘smart city’ in line with international environmental standards.
Called Saad Al-Abdullah city, it will be comprised of 30,000 new housing units and has sustainable technology at the core of its creation.
The project bases itself on incorporating new technologies as much possible and makes the assumption that all residents will be in possession of a smartphone or smart device.
The project outline reads: ‘The idea of this environment-friendly smart city is based on the city’s dependence on modern technology through connecting its services and roads by an Internet network, which will make it easy for them to use all services of the city more efficiently and with less effort.’
The development of Saad Al-Abdullah city is estimated to cost £2.8 billion over the course of its 30-year completion.
Kuwait’s Oil Minister Mohammed al-Fares has recognised the need for a stronger efforts towards environmentalism in the Middle East. In regard to future plans, he said: ‘we have moved from a difficult stage that was characterised by great environmental risk.’
His vision for the future is to create a ‘greener’ region that reduces its dependency on the oil industry, and instead become an international hub for tourism and trade.
These changes won’t happen overnight, but it’s still amazing to see one of the world’s most oil-rich regions making efforts to become more sustainable and environmentally conscious.
I’m Jessica (She/Her). I’m the Deputy Editor & Content Partnership Manager at Thred. Originally from the island of Bermuda, I specialise in writing about ocean health and marine conservation, but you can also find me delving into pop culture, health and wellness, plus sustainability in the beauty and fashion industries. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
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