By Dayo Yussuf
Jailosi wakes up every morning to open his shack in Dar es Salaam's busy market street, Kariokor, and gets busy doing what is clearly a special craft.
He makes footwear, but not just any footwear. Jailosi specialises in creating sandals, locally known as Masandale, out of discarded vehicle tyres.
"These sandals are very popular in Arusha. But it has now spread to other parts like Iringa, Dodoma, and Mbeya," he tells TRT Afrika.
Using a sharp knife, Jailosi adroitly cuts through a large piece of tyre and starts shaping it. He has been doing this for many years, and doesn't need to use a shoe plate to get the right shape. He carefully trims the edges with swift movements, and before you realise it, a pair of sandals is ready for one to try.
"It takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to complete one pair," says Jailosi.
Functional and unfussy
Masandale are popular among the Maasai community that inhabits parts of Kenya and Tanzania. Given their durability, other communities in Kenya such as the Kamba and Kikuyu have adopted it as part of their daily attire. One can tell from the design of the sandals which community made it.
Jailosi took to making Masandale after seeing heaps of old tyres that had been left to rot because nobody seemed to know what to do with them. “I saw in this an opportunity to make money,” he tells TRT Afrika.
“Many people opt for these sandals because they are durable compared to modern shoes,” he says. “You can use a single pair for years.’”
Just a few metres from Jailosi’s shack, Romani makes similar sandals. He earns decent money, but admits to deriving greater satisfaction from putting discarded tyres to good use.
“Everywhere you go, you can see mountains of tyres. People use them and dump them. There isn’t much else to do with them. So, it is better we make footwear out of these,” says Romani.
Giant tyre dumps
Tanzania, like many other African countries, struggles with disposal and management of discarded tyres.
In 2016, the government introduced strict laws banning the importation of used tyres. The law also restricts the importation of tyres and related products older than eight years.
Although this has led to reduction in waste-tyre disposal, analysts say the problem is far from over.
Ellen Otaru, chairperson of the Journalism Environmental Association, tells TRT Afrika that there is not enough data to help make informed solutions. "We lack proper research and analysis on tyre disposal and its full impact on the environment and life in general. There is nobody following through on waste management."
In Tanzania, it's a common sight to see mountains of tyres burning, emanating black plumes of smoke that release toxic gases into the atmosphere.
Tyres are known to be non-decomposing as they can last for long in landfills. Although more research needs to be done, experts believe they release some toxins even without burning.
Currently, more than one billion tyres are discarded every single year. But instead of finding a sustainable solution, many developed countries pass the buck to other nations.
"In some developed countries like Canada, they are recycling old tyres to make oil. But we cannot do that yet in Africa because it is a very expensive process," says Ellen. "Other countries simply export their used tyres to developing countries, but no one follows up on how these are used."
In Africa, many of these used tyres end up being burnt. Health care experts warn that burnt tyres emit a cocktail of dangerous gases that include cyanide, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide.
Ingenious solutions
The good news is that people like sandal-maker Jailosi are devising innovative ways to re-use rubber waste that are otherwise an eyesore.
"There are many young people out there doing well in recycling old tyres for plants and gardens, shoes and construction of toilets," says Ellen. "But these efforts need to be expanded at government or even continental levels to make more significant impact."
As research continues on what is the best way to handle used tyre waste, or better still, find sustainable replacements for rubber tyres, the likes of Jailosi and Romani will continue making their small contribution to preserving the environment, one cut and stitch at a time.
