An enterprising Soweto businessman has added an innovative new dimension to his business by recycling rubble from the site of a major new project and converting it into a highly saleable product: building sand.

A 24 month supply of building rubble, combined with the ownership of a Pilot Crushtec International modular plant, provides a winning formula for Moses Ndlovu, owner of TA Mos Trucking,

Ndlovu has an arrangement with an emerging force in the construction industry, Calgro M3 Holdings, to clear rubble from the sites related to its prestigious Jabulani CBD building project, which will take two years to complete.

The project includes a 300-bed hospital, a state-of-the-art performing arts theatre and an integrated residential housing development and is being run in conjunction with the Gauteng government and other stakeholders.

Own rubble dump

Having created his own rubble dump, Ndlovu supplies significant quantities of diverse grades of building sand to local contractors and building material merchants.

“We are currently processing approximately 300 m³ of rubble per hour, which yields around 220 m³ of saleable product for which there is a ready demand,” says Ndlovu, adding that his customers rate the quality of his product as “excellent”.

In for the long haul

As a seasoned entrepreneur who runs a business operating 22 trucks, Ndlovu is bullish about the crushing, screening and recycling business and plans to remain in the industry for the long haul.

“At this stage we are committed to another two years’ work on the Jabulani project and are taking on additional work, which will mean increasing our range of equipment,” he says.

Ndlovu adds that the decision to increase the recycling side of his business was influenced by the manner in which Pilot Crushtec International eased his entry into the industry. “The plant is reliable and easy to operate while the level of after-sales service and technical support is exceptional,” he says.

Helping local communities

Ndlovu is also aware of how it can improve the quality of life of local communities and welcomes other entrepreneurs to follow his example.

“If we use recycling equipment, we can fight the irresponsible dumping of waste materials; we can remove these hazards and convert rubbish into a usable material.”