Bring REDISA back
REDISA was unlawfully removed, bringing tyre recycling and thousands of jobs to a halt. South Africa throws away 70 000 tyres every day. We must take action now.
Sign the petition to bring REDISA back.
We call for:
- 1Restore REDISA and bring back an industry-funded tyre recycling plan.
- 2Keep the tyre levy for tyre recycling so the money is used for its intended purpose.
- 3Clear dangerous tyre stockpiles and get small collectors and recyclers back to work.
- 4Protect our environment by recycling waste tyres and preventing pollution.
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What REDISA meant for South Africa
The Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA) ran the country's first national waste tyre plan from February 2013 until it was unlawfully shut down in 2017. In less than five years it turned a dumping problem into a working industry. These are the results.
How the REDISA plan worked
REDISA was a non-profit company that sat between the tyre industry and the people who collect and recycle tyres. It did not need a cent of taxpayers' money.
Industry pays
About 180 tyre producers and importers paid a fee of R2.30 per kg on every new tyre.
REDISA manages
An independent NPC ran the funds, the data and the logistics, with every load tracked.
Tyres are collected
71 transporters picked up from 3 126 collection points and took tyres to 35 depots.
Tyres are recycled
32 processors turned them into crumb rubber, new products and energy.
Value returns
New products, new markets and new jobs, with research into safer, more efficient tyres.
Tracking every load cut transport costs by more than 20%. Between February and April 2017 every one of the 1 497 registered tyre dealers had at least one free collection.
Work and ownership for thousands of South Africans
REDISA was built to give people from all walks of life the opportunity to earn a living and build their own businesses. Collectors, transporters, depot operators and recyclers were paid for their work, helping money flow directly into local communities.
- More than 3 000 jobs in collection, transport, depots and recycling.
- 226 small businesses, each one earning from the work it did.
- Free tyre collections for dealers, so waste tyres stopped ending up on veld fires and in rivers.
A new industry, paid for by the industry
REDISA showed that a circular economy can pay for itself. It created demand for recycled rubber, opened new markets and invested in research at South African universities.
- Zero cost to the fiscus. The fee was paid by producers, not taxpayers.
- The Product Testing Institute in Coega, Gqeberha, completed in April 2017, with a five-star environmental rating.
- It is the only lab in Africa that can test tyres to international standards, so local manufacturers do not have to send tyres overseas.
From 4% to 53% in three years
Burning and dumped tyres release toxic smoke, breed mosquitoes and pollute water. When REDISA started, almost none of the country's waste tyres were being dealt with properly. Within three years, more than half were.
Amount of waste tyres recycled
Percentage of waste tyres recycled, by year
View as a table
| Year | Recycled | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 4% | DEA baseline estimate |
| 2016 | 53% | REDISA audited data |
| 2024 | about 22% | TopAuto, 17 Oct 2024 |
With REDISA (2017)
- Tyres stockpiled at depots
- 20 000 tonnes
- Depot space used
- 172 000 m²
- Where the tyre fee went
- Into collection, storage, pre-processing and recycling
Without REDISA (2024 to 2026)
- Tyres stockpiled at depots (2024)
- 215 000 tonnes
- Waste tyres unaccounted for
- About half a million tonnes
- Where the tyre levy goes
- The national fiscus. Of R790 million collected, R472 million has gone towards waste management. With little to show for it.
Figures supplied by REDISA.
Recognised around the world
While REDISA was running, the world was paying attention to what South Africa had built.
World Economic Forum, The Circulars
Runner-up in the Government, Cities and Regions category, announced at Davos.
European Development Days
CEO Hermann Erdmann spoke on the circular economy panel, chaired by the EU Environment Commissioner.
Global Economic Symposium
The REDISA Plan was adopted as an official solutions proposal for international challenges.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey
Served on the advisory board for their circular economy report.
Ocean Conservancy
Invited as a partner on the Stemming the Tide report, alongside WWF and others.
How REDISA was shut down, and what came after
The REDISA Plan is gazetted
South Africa's first Integrated Industry Waste Tyre Management Plan becomes law.
Operations begin
The tyre fee comes into force and collections start around the country.
53% of waste tyres recycled
In its third full year, REDISA recycles more than 13 times the 2013 level.
Provisional liquidation
Government obtains a provisional liquidation order against REDISA. The plan is withdrawn at the end of September 2017 and the Waste Bureau takes over.
The Supreme Court of Appeal sides with REDISA
The court sets aside the liquidation and clears REDISA's directors, calling the order patently unlawful.
Depot fires
A fire at the Biesiesvlei depot near Lichtenburg shows the danger of overflowing stockpiles.
A new plan, challenged and withdrawn
REDISA takes government's new tyre plan to court in September 2024. In June 2025 the Minister withdraws it for a full review.
The crisis keeps growing
About 70 000 tyres are thrown away every day and fewer than 30% are recycled. REDISA is ready to restart as soon as it gets a mandate.
The systems are still here
REDISA has kept its offices, systems and testing facilities ready. With a mandate, collections could start again quickly, without building from scratch.
Add your name
A proven, industry-funded answer to the waste tyre crisis already exists. Add your name and company details to show government that South Africans want it back.
Sign the petition- REDISA, Waste Tyre Management in South Africa (2023)
- Chris Crozier, IOL Business Report, 25 February 2026
- Stacey Jansen, IOL, 31 July 2026
- Albert du Toit, TopAuto, 17 October 2024
- Schalk Burger, Engineering News, 9 January 2026
- Sheree Bega, Mail & Guardian, 2 June 2025
- Stacey Jansen, BusinessDay, 1 February 2025
- REDISA, Achievements and News