Council shares lessons from nappy recycling trial

The service, which began on a trial basis in summer 2012, was made possible thanks to the UKs first dedicated nappy recycling plant opening in September 2011 in West Bromwich, run by Canadian company Knowaste (see letsrecycle.com story).

Cheshire West and Chester council was able to extend the pilot scheme whilst investigating further funding opportunities, after securing money from the Department for Communities and Local Governments Weekly Waste Collection Fund.

And, the local authority claims that councils have been flocking to share the lessons learned from the pilot, which alongside the councils new Recycle First scheme is thought to have improved recycling performance by as much as 322kg per year.

Households subscribing to the scheme, which is run in partnership with the councils waste collection contractor May Gurney, are given a supply of collection sacks and an outdoor storage container. Collected nappies will be bulked up and transported to Knowastes facility.

Councillor Lynn Riley, the councils executive member for community and environment, added: Disposable nappies are an essential part of life for those with young children but disposing of them comes at significant cost and has a huge environmental impact. In our borough alone, almost 5,000 tonnes of nappies go to landfill every year.

Landfill

It is enormously exciting that the people of West Cheshire are seen as global trailblazers for this service, which reflects this authoritys commitment to improving recycling rates and reducing the amount we send to landfill.

Representatives from Australian waste management firm Relivit also visited the council to see the scheme in operation.

Gareth Williamson, managing director of Relivit, said: Cheshire West and Chester council are leading the way in delivering innovative methods to maximise the recovery of valuable resources from household waste.

During my visit I was able to see the practical issues, tools used, benefits and opportunities in how to efficiently collect nappies and pads from households for recycling, as well as kerbside sorting of recyclables, collections of food waste and a strong partnership between council and the contractor, May Gurney.

We at Relivit are very grateful for councils willingness to share insights and experience, which will help us roll-out collections and recycling of absorbent hygiene waste in Australia in the near future.