Contrast City! Rubber Recycling in Marrakesh, Morocco

YOUR VIEWS

"Contrast city" is a rubber recycling program in Marrakesh-Morocco. The project aims at sustainable development. This is an initiative of LCCE (La Compagnie du Commerce Equitable), a French fair trade importer. LCCE wondered what could be done with rubber waste, polluting and poisonous when used as a source of energy. I have worked in this program as a designer, specialized in handicraft, working around Africa for a decade and settled in Marrakech. The whole process was covered from organizing supply to standard production, including product design.

Few questions that were to be carefully dealt were;

How to cleverly collect waste mixed up until now with household garbage and dumped?
How then prepare this disgusting and ill-assorted material to make it usable?
Finally, how transform this new raw material, through local craft, in repeatable, qualitative, graceful, useful, agreeable and saleable artefacts?