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You Can Make Flip-Flops and Furniture Out Of Used Tires

21st century might be an interesting turning point in mankind’s way of handling its million tons of waste. While an estimated 1.5 billion tires are discarded each year worldwide, eco-minded small entrepreneurs from Kenya to India to Detroit and Sweden are turning car tires in raw material for creating new footwear and even furniture.
Sandals made out of used tires in Kenya, named akalas 1 photo
Photo: Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images
Using a hundred-years old manufacturing technique Maasai tribesmen from southern Kenya applied to make their durable sandals, several small entrepreneurs are now turning used tires in brand new flip-flops. According to BBC, the footwear is trending mainstream as we speak, and e-tailers like Maasai Treads, Akala Sandals and soleRebels are just a couple of examples.

The manufacturing technology is spreading everywhere. Reverend Faith Fowler from Cass Community Social Services in Detroit employs dozens of workers who turn old tires - the group’s Green Industries division collect about 35,000 discards a year - into $25 flip-flops with some serious tread life.

The story goes on in Mumbai, India, where ground-floor entrepreneur Anu Tandon Vieira established The Retyrement Plan, where workers morph old tires and other recycled waste materials into weatherproof outdoor furniture. And mind you not, Europe is doing it as well. For instance, Swedish company, Apokalyps Labotek, is also using old tires only they're making durable and stylish flooring out of it.

The examples are probably endless, but the point is wasting all this material is as bad as burning paper instead of recycling it. I don’t know about you guys, but I could go for the flip-flops anytime.
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