EGYPT: Intec and Recom to recycle used tyres in Cairo

To limit tyre imports into Cairo, the Egyptian government is planning to set up a plant to recycle used tyres. On 12 September 2023, the Arab Industrialization Organization (AIO) signed a contract with German companies Intec Rubber Powder and Recom Patent & License.

This is the first partnership to be forged at the Environment and Climate Investment Forum, which opened on 12 September 2023 in the New Administrative Capital (NAC), east of Cairo in Egypt. The agreement between the Arab Industrialization Organization (AIO) and German companies Intec Rubber Powder and Recom Patent & License concerns the construction of a car tyre recycling plant in the Egyptian capital.

“This industrial project is a step in the right direction to promote this type of local investment, so that Egypt becomes a regional centre for the recycling of car tyres and vehicles of all types in accordance with international quality specifications. This will have a positive impact on the inflow of foreign currency and the strengthening of the national economy”, explains Mokhtar Abdel Latif, Major General and Chairman of the AIO, an organisation set up by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.

Tyre recycling, a promising market in Cairo

As part of the partnership, Intec Rubber Powder and Recom Patent & License will equip the future recycling facility with “advanced intelligent systems”. These companies will rely on local workers who have been trained in the latest technologies in line with the standards of the fourth industrial revolution, which refers to the transition to intelligent and connected production systems.

As well as promoting local investment, the recycling of used tyres will reduce the number of tyres imported into Cairo. And there would be no shortage of raw materials, as Egypt’s largest city, with the Nile running through it, has the highest number of registered cars in the country, with 2.6 million by 2022, according to official figures.