Tyre Recycling and Recovery Project
Akewa Accelerator is an incubator and accelerator of Start-ups/SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises) which is the main actor in favour of innovative entrepreneurship in Gabon.
Overview of the project
The Recycling and Recovery of used tires project contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases and tyre waste in the city of Libreville. This project also creates jobs and consequently solves the issue of youth unemployment.
This project is divided into several phases, namely:
- PHASE 1: Setting up the project internally: Equipment and training of staff in the design of furniture using recycled tyres;
- PHASE 2: Collection, processing and transformation of used tyres. This will involve collecting a quantity of used tyres from certain partners. The collected tyres are processed and transformed (sports surfaces, plastic paving, furniture, flower pots, etc.).
- PHASE 3: Training of young people in the recycling and recovery of used tyres; young people who have dropped out of school or are undergoing professional retraining can have jobs and become independent.
- PHASE 4: Creation of a mobile application. This mobile application will make it possible to map the different used tyre depots at national level, to facilitate pre-collection and will be a framework for interacting with the holders of used tyres.
- PHASE 5: Information and exchange workshop on the promotion and recovery of waste in Gabon: the case of used tyres.
The main objective of this project is to promote the recycling and recovery of used tyres in Gabon.
Ongoing research
20/08/2021-20/08/2022 (Project still on going)
During the first phase of the project, ten (10) team members were trained on furniture design as well as on flower boxes. Fifty (50) used tyres were collected in the framework of the partnership with the cleaning and sanitation company Clean Africa. The used tyres were processed and recycled by designing twenty (20) pieces of furniture from the collected tyres. The team members also made five (05) flower boxes to embellish the green spaces.
The first phase of the project, implemented in August 2021, consisted of setting up the project’s internal equipment and training staff in the design of furniture using recycled tyres. At the start of the project, our team was not aware of the process of designing furniture from used tyres, so our team received training from experts in furniture design. A prototype was designed by the team members during the training. At the end of the training, the trained team designed other furniture and a prototype planter with used tyres.
The project in its first phase was financed with own funds.
organisation
Akewa Accelerator is an incubator and accelerator of Start-ups/SMEs which is the main actor in favour of innovative entrepreneurship in Gabon. Its mission is to develop innovative and sustainable entrepreneurship and to contribute to the structuring of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Akewa Growth Accelerator supports young entrepreneurs with innovative, high value-added projects in five areas: the Social and Solidarity Economy, Renewable Energies, Cultural and Creative (ICC) Industries, the Environment and Information and Communication Technologies (TIC).
- Clean Africa Cleaning and Sanitation Company.
- The Directorate General for the Environment and Nature Protection (DGEPN).