First £12m facility in country to recycle disposable nappies
Feb 20 2009 by Neil Elkes, Birmingham Post
Regular disposable nappies which take hundreds of years to rot on the nation’s landfill sites could soon be recycled at a new £12 million Birmingham-based facility – the first of its kind the UK.
High technology recycling firm Knowaste has found where ‘there’s muck there’s brass’ as they plan to turn up to 36,000 tonnes of Pampers, Huggies and adult incontinence products a year into plastic cladding and roof tiles.
Meanwhile, methane from the production process can be sold to the National Grid and turned into energy and anything left used for compost.
The firm has won the full backing of Birmingham’s Planning Committee to build the plant on the Atlas Industrial Estate in Redfearn Road, Tyseley.
With building work ready to begin, Knowaste hopes to complete the plant by the end of the year and start recycling early in 2010.
Company chief executive Roy Brown said: “We are delighted with the outcome of the Birmingham planning committee – the response was really positive and upbeat.
“Now it’s time for us to make sure the project gets under way as soon as possible and that it’s a success for everyone involved.”
Mr Brown hopes the proposed facility will be a catalyst for people to see that nappy recycling is possible and pave the way for the company to build more facilities in the UK. They are in talks to build a London facility.
The planning committee was impressed that the unit would create 22 jobs as well as help local authorities reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
Committee chairman Peter Douglas Osborne (Cons, Weoley) hailed the development as exciting for the city. He said: “Environmentally it certainly does benefit us because the present method of disposal, landfill, is a public health issue which has not been considered since the 1840s. This is new technology coming to the city, the first of its kind in the region, if not the country and is very welcome.”
Coun Ian Ward (Lab, Shard End) said: “This proves the adage that ‘where there’s muck there’s brass’. It is remarkable that such waste can be turned into plastic cladding and roof tiles. This is so much better than putting it into the ground.”
The proposal is to take up to 36,000 tonnes of nappies, bedliners and incontinence products a year from commercial premises for recycling.
The company has assured the council that the facility will be non-polluting and all waste processing and treatment will be carried out within the building to control noise, odour and dust.
