Kuwait's Forgotten Tyre Graveyard: Push for Urgent Cleanup Plan
Al-Farsi said the Environmental Affairs Committee in the council discussed this issue in its first workshop -- held on June 26, 2024 -- under the title, 'Tyre Landfills and Dumping Sites and their Impact on Public Health and Environmental Safety - Current Situation and Sustainable Solutions,' which resulted in the issuance of a set of urgent and long-term recommendations. She included in her question the most important recommendations presented at the workshop -- the need for coordination between the Municipality, Environment Public Authority (EPA) and Public Authority for Industry (PAI) to gradually eliminate tyre accumulation, particularly at the Kilometer 65 site in Salmi, with the participation of factories licensed by PAI and Kuwaiti entrepreneurs approved by the Municipality.
She said this should be part of a comprehensive plan that includes studying the specifications of the accumulated tyres (both new and old) and the mechanism for distributing them to treatment facilities, under the supervision of the Municipality and according to a clear timetable. She added that the plan must also include meeting the requirements of the Kuwait Fire Force (KFF) at tyre collection sites, such as establishing temporary water basins, developing a comprehensive plan to manage tyre disposal in line with sustainable development goals, and rehabilitating waste transporters in light of the new regulations for municipal waste management and public hygiene.
She enumerated the other recommendations as follows:
Promote modern tyre processing methods;
Prepare a procedures manual for the use of recycled building materials in coordination with Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Ministry of Public Works and Kuwait University;
Specify legislative frameworks through the Regulations Review Committee at the Municipality;
Monitor the results of experiments conducted by some entities using rubber asphalt extracted from tyres, in preparation for developing technical specifications and expanding the scope of application in road projects;
Invest in recycled waste within road maintenance contracts at the Ministry of Public Works;
Support and encourage the private sector to implement projects that promote sustainable development and the green economy
Al-Farsi pointed out that more than a year had passed since the issuance of these recommendations, which prompted her to present a series of questions to the executive body in the Municipality, about the measures taken regarding the tyres landfill in Salmi (Kilometer 65) and the extent of the commitment of the Municipality to implement the recommendations; especially concerning the disposal of tyre waste in line with the sustainable development goals. She also inquired about the mechanism followed in measuring and managing the quantities of accumulated tyres, as well as the increase and disposal rates.
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