Rabii Ouhiba is the manager of Recyglass, a waste-management company that recycles and breaks down hollow and flat glass for resale to recycled glass manufactures. The 100% Tunisian-owned company is based in Bousalem in the governorate of Jendouba and is the first and only recycler of the glass in this underserved region in the northwest of Tunisia.
An industrial maintenance technician, the 32-year-old native of Bousalem had the idea in 2018 after learning about a glass recycling company in Belgium. Mr. Ouhiba decided to launch the first company in Tunisia specializing in this activity.
Following a comprehensive analysis of the entrepreneurial landscape in the region, Mr. Ouhiba established the company in 2020. However, administrative delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the activity starting for a year. Initially, Recyglass started collecting used glass bottles, containers, and sheet glass from waste collectors and glass manufacturers across Tunisia. Recyglass then sorts, screens, and crushes the glass for sale to the recycled glass manufactures who, in some cases, are both suppliers and clients. Sotuver, the leading producer of food-grade glass packaging in Tunisia, is Recyglass’ primary client, accounting for approximately 60% of its production capacity.
Since the beginning, the company experienced consistent growth but has encountered production challenges when faced with high demand. To address this matter, Mr. Ouhiba opted for hiring additional workers rather than restructuring the production process to enhance efficiency. While this solution did meet the demand, it also led to elevated production costs and delays.
In early 2022, Recyglass took part in various exhibitions and events in Tunisia and Dubai, UAE, and received advance orders for crushed glass from customers in Libya and Algeria. Additionally, Recyglass entered into an agreement with Al Taj and Al Thamin Wholesale of Recycling in Dubai to recycle and crush more than 3,000,000 tons of flat glass in 2023 and 2024. However, the company needed to tackle its production and management challenges and invest in additional machinery before finalizing orders with new clients.
JOBS and Recyglass partnered to help the company restructure the production process and business-management practices to reduce costs, improve the working environment, and increase productivity to meet demand from national and international clients. Meanwhile, the company will invest in the necessary production equipment as well as purchase safety equipment for its employees.
These actions will allow the company to increase sales by 520,000 TND and create at least 25 new full-time jobs by the end of 2024.
“We operate in a very promising sector with great opportunities and huge demand. JOBS’ backing will allow us to streamline our management and production processes and scale them as we further grow.”
Rabii Ouhiba
Manager – Recyglass
