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A pile abandoned tires which were left unused inspired these three young men to start their shoe polish company – made from recycled tires.

Former Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) students Mzokhona Maxase, Tshepo Sithole and Fortune Hadebe, are the founders and co-owners of environmentally conscious company, Cubic 38 which produces shoe polish from old used tires.

Maxase told News24 that he and his partners didn’t know that the recycled tires could be the secret ingredient to their successful business.

A foreman at Carbon Klean, a tire recycling business in Pretoria West, shared this ingredient with him and his partners which they would later use to launch their business.

“He informed us that their largest problem was knowing what to do with the waste, which is carbon char, which is the solid residue left over after steel and oil are taken out of recycled tires. We had already made the decision to participate in the green economy despite the fact that we weren’t science majors,” he recalled.

A year later, the young men’s environmentally conscious company, Cubic 38, was established after they requested a sample of the carbon char so they could examine it, reported News24.

According to the article, the company employs the char as the primary ingredient in tire and shoe polish, and its name comes from an equation for compressed natural gas, a cleaner substitute for fuel and gasoline.

Maxase told the publication that if used appropriately, tires are a resource rather than a waste.

He told the publication that was taken aback by the quantity of rubbish he saw while traveling from KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

“Waste materials were defined as valuable resources that may be recycled into raw materials that provide revenue. My eyes were opened to the reality, and I made the decision that I wanted to participate in the expanding green space market.”

Mzokhona explained and said the rubber in tires is strengthened by carbon char, also known as carbon black.

“[It] is used to extend the life of tires by strengthening the rubber in them and assisting in the transfer of heat away from the tread and belts. Additionally, carbon black materials shield tires from UV radiation, which can reduce tire life. It resembles a thin black powder when recycled,” he explained. .

His company wants to educate people about caring for the environment.

“We want to stop burning tires and educate people about them through our products,” Maxase said, adding that he wants people to be aware that there are environmentally conscious businesses that recycle tires and use the recovered materials to make new products.

Although TUT lacked a chemical engineering department, its innovation department connected them with Gqeberha-based Nelson Mandela University’s engineering faculty.

“We conducted our research on carbon char with the assistance of a professor, as we had no prior knowledge of the material,” Mzokhona claimed.

The TUT innovation department and The Red Bull Amaphiko Academy, which assists local social entrepreneurs, provided the three with financing and support.

Editor’s note: A pile abandoned tires which were left unused inspired these three young men to start their shoe polish company – made from recycled tires. This is innovation. This is something that could help create jobs and also help address the challenge many people in the tyre business find themselves in – disposing of  old tires.

Description: Former Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) students Mzokhona Maxase, Tshepo Sithole and Fortune Hadebe, are the founders and co-owners of environmentally conscious company, Cubic 38 which produces shoe polish from old unused tires.

Editor: Thato Mahlangu

Project manager: Do4SA