A pioneering nappy recycling facility to initially serve hospitals and other institutions – reportedly a UK first – is being planned for early next year. Plans for the Tylseley, Birmingham facility have been submitted to Birmingham City Council by Knowaste, a developer of recycling technologies for nappies and other absorbent hygiene products.
The company has already signed its first contract, with Birmingham-based waste contractor Alpha Wastecare (Midlands), which will initially collect waste from hospitals, nursing homes, day care centres and nurseries in the West Midlands and surrounding regions. This contract alone will enable Knowaste to process over 30,000 tonnes of nappy waste annually when the facility is fully operational. Knowaste plans to invest over £20 m in recycling facilities UK-wide over the next five years which, alongside handling nappies, will also process other absorbent hygiene products. Until now all have typically gone straight to landfill, incinerator or composting facilities. Knowaste’s patented nappy recycling process sanitises every nappy and separates its components. Green energy is generated from the biomass treatment of the resulting “sludge”. The process generates methane, convertible into energy to run the recycling process or sellable back to the National Grid. The plastic recyclates can be used to make plastic extrusion and cladding products, and roof tiles.
