Nappy Recycling Firm Knowaste Looking for New Site Between London & Oxford

West Bromwich based nappy recycling specialist, Knowaste, is looking for a new larger site as part of its first stage in developing a number of facilities across the UK. Last year, Knowaste closed its initial site in the West Midlands, which it said did not provide adequate capacity to maximise the market opportunities that it has identified for the materials it generates from the recycling process. However, the company added that the previous site did allow it to prove and further develop its technology. The company explained that it is focusing its attention on a location between Oxford, Luton and London, which is capable of handling more than 36,000 tonnes of waste and has access to sustainable heat, power and water sources. High on its agenda are sites in close proximity to existing waste to energy, biomass, anaerobic digestion or water treatment facilities. Knowaste’s process isolates the plastics and fibres from absorbable hygiene products (AHPs), which is said separates them from human waste so that 100% of the nappy or incontinence pad can be used to create an additive for concrete production, extrusion products, plastic sheets, flood defence systems and even containers for used disposable nappies. The company said it has recycled more than 77 million nappies since it opened its first plant in the West Midlands two years ago. However, it also noted that an estimated one million tonnes of AHP waste is generated in the UK every year and that a growing number of local authorities and hygiene companies are now separating AHP as disposal costs continue to rise and they seek to meet waste reduction, elimination and recycling targets. “The location of the new facility is critical. We want to find an optimal site close to sources of sustainable heat, power and water that is also optimally located for us to meet the demands of local authorities and hygiene companies,” commented Paul Richardson, business development director at Knowaste. The company added that the new site will include new recycling technologies, which will make the processes for sterilisation, screening and materials separation more efficient. It also said that it will also comprise new components including washing, separation and drying processes, as well as a plastic pelletiser, which will enable it to access the high potential and quality markets that it has identified for recycled outputs. Read More Nappy Recycling is the UK ready to run, walk or crawl? The UK throws away over one million tonnes of nappies each year. Recycling efforts by Knowaste are helping to generate plastic and fibre products from this stream. Will the business model be successful and take lessons from the Netherlands, where a facility had to close? By Tom Freyberg. VIDEO: Dong Energy uses Enzyes to Process Mixed MSW for Biogas & Recycling A new technology that uses enzymes to treat mixed MSW and recover the organic fraction for biogas production, has been unveiled by Dong Energy. Feature Film Examines the Extents to which Waste Plastics are Polluting the Oceans A new feature length documentary highlighting the extent of the environmental damage being caused by waste plastics in the world’s oceans has been released.