Tanja Bause
1 July 2009
THE Namclay Bricks and Pavers factory at Uis currently employs 45 people and produces 40 000 face bricks a day.
They are looking at increasing production to 80 000 bricks a day and employing 65 people.
The factory, which was started four years, ago uses a by-product of the old Uis tin mine.
The mine was abandoned about 20 years ago and the mine dumps were left unattended. The factory uses these tailings to make bricks harder and more resilient than other bricks.
The factory does not only recycle the mine tailings but also left-over coal from NamPower.
When the bricks are made they need to be fired. They are stacked in piles of over 420 000 bricks, with alternating layers of coal and wood.
The pile is then covered in clay, ignited and left to burn for two weeks, after which the outer layer is removed and the bricks packed.
The left-over coal from NamPower is unusable for any other purpose.
The bricks are packed into old sugar bags before being transported. These bags are used only seven times for the transportation of sugar and after that they are destroyed.
Namclay Bricks and Pavers can use these old bags another seven to eight times.
The factory does not only breathe life into the small town of Uis but is also a shining example of recycling at its best.
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