Recycled tyres could help secure high-risk slopes nationwide, says expert

 By Olivia Miwil

Sep 27, 2025 @ 8:54pm

Kapayan assemblyman Datuk Jannie Lasimbang (second left) and volunteers completed the 6-tier eco-gabion after 5 hours of gotong-royong at Kampung Nosoob Baru. Photo courtesy of Jannie Lasimbang. - Pic courtesy of Jannie Lasimbang.

KOTA KINABALU: An eco-friendly approach using recycled tyres could give communities a low-cost, durable way to protect slopes, according to Sabah geologist Professor Felix Tongkul.

"For slope protection, tyres are laid in layers and filled with compacted soil or gravel to form a heavy, stable barrier.

"To prevent them from being dislodged, the tyres are anchored to the ground and wired together," he told the New Straits Times.

-Advertisement-

Recent landslides in Sabah claimed multiple lives across several districts.

Inanam saw seven family members killed in Kampung Cenderakasih, while Penampang and Papar also reported fatalities, including children.

Felix, who is also a Principal Research Fellow at the Natural Disaster Research Centre (NDRC) of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), said the method is cost-effective as used tyres are often free.

He added that rubber is highly durable and resists degradation, making it suitable for long-term use.

When the tyre structure is filled with soil and planted with vegetation, it can eventually blend into the natural landscape.

He added that the only expenses involve transporting them, buying wires to tie them together, metal stakes for anchoring, and labour.

"The cost should be less than RM1,000. In our recent project (at Kampung Nosoob Baru), it took us just half a day to build an eco-gabion through 'gotong-royong'.

"The actual cost was even lower, at under RM500."

"This method can also be replicated in other areas, but it is most effective for slopes that are not too steep or too high—less than 45 degrees and under 20m in height—and for shallow-type landslides affecting only the surface."

Kapayan assemblyman Datuk Jannie Lasimbang said with climate change intensifying rainfall and triggering disasters, people must seek solutions that are both sustainable and cost-effective.

The Works Ministry has classified over 1,000 slopes nationwide as high-risk and can collapse at any time.

Those slopes are among the 34,400 slopes nationwide.

The vast majority of the high-risk slopes are in Peninsular Malaysia (1,066), while the rest are in Labuan (13), Sabah (7), and Sarawak (1).