Egypt village turns a profit on used tyres

Residents have eked out a living by recycling old tyres into new rubber-based products

Published: January 20, 2020 17:15 AFP

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Residents of the Egyptian village of Mit Al Harun have for decades eked out a living by recycling old tyres into baskets, landscaping materials and alternative fuels. Image Credit: AFP

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From early morning, workers covered in soot and dust can be seen sharpening their knives to cut huge tyres stockpiled on the village's roadsides. Image Credit: AFP

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"The entire village works on recycling damaged tyres," said 35-year-old Abdelwahab Mohamed outside of his workshop. Image Credit: AFP

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"We inherited it from our fathers and grandfathers." Image Credit: AFP

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The small Nile Delta village, some 70 kilometres north of Cairo, has gained a reputation as Egypt's top rubber recycling hub. Image Credit: AFP

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Dealers collect used tyres from across the country, delivering them to Mit al-Harun in huge trucks. Image Credit: AFP

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Mohamed said prices per tyre go up to around 70 Egyptian pounds (four dollars). Image Credit: AFP

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"We cut the tyres here and pull out material including wire rings, which are collected by steel and iron factories to be recycled," he said. Image Credit: AFP

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"Tyre rubber is often chopped into small pieces to be used by cement factories as an energy source" - an alternative to low-grade mazut fuel oil. Image Credit: AFP

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Other parts are recycled into mulch for playgrounds, he added. Image Credit: AFP

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Mohamed said his work has grown unstable over the years, especially since the 2011 uprising that unseated longtime dictator Hosni Mubara and triggered years of political and economic turmoil. Image Credit: AFP

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"There are days with plenty of work and others with little to none," he said. Image Credit: AFP

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Azab's workshop, with a handful of workers, processes up to 10 tyres per day, producing between 80-120 baskets. Image Credit: AFP

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Azab's brother, Haitham, said the job was "exhausting". Image Credit: AFP

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"It requires physical strength to carry around the heavy tyres," he said. Image Credit: AFP

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"If we had the option of a more stable occupation, we would have quit this one. But this is our only source of income." Image Credit: AFP

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