Villagers find money-spinner in tires

By Agus Maryono and Ngudi Utomo

PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): To most people in Central Java, Kebanaran village, which is located along the Purwokerto-Tegal highway in Banyumas district, is better known as Bandol village. Bandol is an acronym for the Javanese term ban bodol (damaged tire). The village earned this name because most of the villagers have been successful in turning bandol into valuable goods.

The late Madmaseh began this business in the 1950s. He created wheels for horse-drawn buggies and pails out of used motorcycle and automobile tires. Other villagers have since followed in his footsteps and created their own products. Now you can find vases, chairs and tables, trash bins and sandals -- all made from used tires.

Turning a used rubber tire into a household utensil is quite a complicated process and requires a special skill, especially when cutting the tires into desired patterns. The equipment needed is quite simple, such as a sharp knife, glue, small nails and an oven (to soften the rubber to make it easy to brand when making sandals).

"Unless you are well trained in cutting tires, you may cut off all your fingers when you use a very sharp knife," says 60-year- old Haji Khaidi Siswoyo, Madmaseh's son-in-law.

If you want to make a trash bin, for example, a used tire is cut into two along the wall of the tire. The rim is sewed and glued in accordance with the shape desired. The bottom part is covered by the half that includes the tire tread.

One tire, no matter what the size, is only enough for one trash bin. "A small bin can usually fetch Rp 20,000," says Khaidi, who says his bandol business enabled him to perform the haj pilgrimage. He adds that he could make a 200 percent profit from used tires, which cost Rp 800 a kilogram.

According to the bandol craftsmen, the most difficult items to make out of used tires are tables and chairs. The tread of the tire is used to cover the frame of chair armrests and legs. To make one table and three chairs, five used tires are needed. "Actually four used tires are enough to make a set if the quality of the tires is good enough," he says.

Sandals are made from the wall of the tire. One tire, says Mrs. Khaidi, is enough for 20 pairs of bandol sandal.

Over the last few months, demand for bandol sandals has risen sharply, says Khaidi, who employs nine workers. Sometimes, he says, he has to reject orders because he does not have enough staff. "Most orders for these sandals come from Klaten and Solo (Surakarta)," he says.

According to him, demand for bandol sandals has been rising because the sandals are quite cheap -- only Rp 4,000 a pair. "If you buy the sandals in large quantities the price is Rp 55,000 per 20 pairs," he says.

"Another reason may be that many people can no longer afford to buy branded sandals in shops," he says. He boasts that in terms of quality, his sandals are comparable to those sold in shops for above Rp 30,000 a pair.

Another entrepreneur, Riyanto, also enjoys a robust business. "We have a stroke of good luck when a tire is still in quite good condition because this can be used to make an easy chair and a table, which, together with a few accessories, may fetch Rp 200,000 a set," he says, adding that a table and chair set costs only Rp 100,000 to make.

The bandol businessmen are baffled by the problems they have with supplies of damaged/used tires. But in the midst of the economic crisis, tire factories have reduced production. And the price increase of auxiliary materials poses quite a serious problem for them.

According to Khaidi, even in Jakarta, where he usually gets his supplies, used tires are quite difficult to obtain. Sometimes, he says, he buys discarded tires from a tire manufacturer at Rp 1,000/kg, Rp 200 more than damaged/used tires.

He adds that supplies of damaged/used tires, usually from Jakarta and Cirebon, have become quite scarce lately. He says the reason for this could be that tire prices are very high and motorists might not change their tires unless absolutely necessary.

"Another big problem related to the economic crisis is the fivefold increase in the price of glue. One big tin of glue, previously available at Rp 30,000, now costs Rp 150,000," he says, adding that a bandol business cannot do without glue.

"Luckily, more orders have come in and used tires have not increased considerably in price," he says.

Bandol craftsmen are paid on either a contract or daily basis. Those paid on a daily basis are paid in accordance with the government-stipulated regional minimum wage rate, while those employed on a contract basis are paid in accordance with the kinds of jobs they do.

Khaidi, for example, pays his daily workers Rp 3,000 a day (including meals). He pays contract workers Rp 50 for each pair of sandals they glue.

Djoko, 19, one worker, says he prefers to work on a contract basis because he can earn more. In one day, he says, he can glue 250 pairs of sandals.

"Those working on a contract basis include, for example, people who nail and sew the tire products together," says Khaidi. "A sole cutter gets Rp 25 per sole, while someone who nails the sandals is paid Rp 75 per sandal (using five nails)," Djoko says. "If I do the nailing, I can take on 100 pairs a day."