P&G unveils plans to recycle used nappies

13th October 2017 | Recycling

Consumer goods giant, Procter & Gamble (P&G) this week explained plans to recycle used disposable nappies at sites across Europe.

Speaking at the annual LARAC, local authority recycling officers’ conference, Di Ioannis Hatzopoulos, senior manager of sustainability communications at P&G, outlined the company’s investment in technology to recycle disposable nappies and other absorbent hygiene products (AHPs).

And, he signalled that the company was interested in the UK being home to its third plant. One has been built in Italy with Italian pharmaceutical business Angelini and waste company Fater at Treviso, Italy and a second plant is to be developed alongside the AEB energy from waste plant in Amsterdam.

The move is part of the company’s larger plans to provide “Europe-wide coverage” of recycling used nappies, said Dr Hatzopolous, who proceeded to reach out to the LARAC audience to gauge their interest of a plant in the UK.

“We have the right technology and I’m hoping some of you will want to speak to me to see what we can do together,” Dr Hatzopolous said to the audience. According to statistics from WRAP, the UK disposes of around 3 billion disposable nappies a year, representing an estimated 2% to 3% of all household waste.

This is not the first time a company has attempted to set up a nappy recycling plant. Earlier this year, Canadian owned company Knowaste announced it was exploring options to build the UK’s only dedicated nappy recycling facility to the east of London after it was rejected to set up the plant in Hayes, West London, due to the impact of odour on the surrounding area.

Dr Hatzopolous explained that the recycling plant in Treviso can process 10,000 tonnes of waste a year which is the equivalent to the AHP typically arising from a population of 1 million people.

More information available on the website below

https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/pg-unveils-plans-recycle-used-nappies/