The state's waste recycling arm is planning to develop roads in rural areas using waste tyre mats instead of tar.

Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa) director Stacey Davidson said the organisation was finalising a document that would seek to influence policy to be amended in favour of the use of waste tyres by business and private individuals.

Davidson said if the project is successful, this would result in Redisa assisting companies that are at least 51% black-owned to create a waste tyre manufacturing plant that would create the waste tyre mats.

"We have to look at what we can do to create a legislative environment to drive the use of rubber products that are locally manufactured," she said.

"We want to (enhance existing industry players) because they will be able to (add bitumen to the recycled rubber)," she said.

Bitumen is a product used in tarred roads.

Davidson said the rubber-road project would first be piloted on a small scale, and if it succeeds, would be expanded to most rural areas.

She said the plant would be erected in Gauteng due to its higher rate of waste tyres supply.

She said it would be hard to estimate the costs.

The factory, she said, would also turn tyres into bricks for paving purposes. - Mpho Sibanyoni