Nappy recycling firm Knowaste has today announced the surprise closure of its West Bromwich facility with immediate effect in a move that councils say throws nappy recycling schemes into disarray.
A statement on the Canadian owned companys website this morning (May 22) revealed that the 36,000 tonne-per-year capacity plant the first of its kind in the UK – has been shut down, with the firm claiming it has outgrown the current site.
The company said that it is seeking to explore sites for new facilities in the West Midlands, as well as proposed sites in London (see letsrecycle.com story) and elsewhere, but it is not clear how long councils might be without a dedicated nappy recycling facility in the UK.
A total of 14 employees have lost their jobs as a result of the closure.
In the statement Knowaste said: Today, the Board of Knowaste has announced that the company is looking for a new recycling site in the West Midlands region, having outgrown its existing location in West Bromwich.
However, the company regrets that as a result of this decision it will be closing the current site from immediate effect. Whilst the first ever operation of its kind in the UK has proven the concept for recycling absorbent hygiene products – thereby representing a major breakthrough for handling such waste, which has traditionally gone to landfill – the current site does not meet the future requirements of the business.
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Knowastes West Bromwich facility opened in September 2011, with Cardiff city and Monmouthshire county councils among the first to sign up to send disposable nappies to the site for recycling (see letsrecycle.com story) as well as Cheshire West and Chester council.
The site also received material from commercial waste operators including PHS, OCS and Initial.
Commenting on the closure of the plant, Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee chair, Joy Blizzard, described the decision as disheartening and expressed the association’s disappointment that current nappy recycling schemes will be thrown into disarray by this announcement.
She said: Having developed collection schemes for nappies, they are now left with nowhere to recycle them. It’s very disheartening. Knowaste is looking for a new site, but there will be a long gap before their future plans are going to be any use to local authorities. In effect Local Authorities are left ‘holding the baby’.
Roy Brown, chief executive of Knowaste, said: First and foremost I would like to thank our staff and customers, who have made this groundbreaking development possible and ensured that significant tonnes of absorbent hygiene products, including nappies and incontinence pads, have been diverted from landfill or incineration for the first time ever in this country.
The company has also today reiterated its commitment to having five operational sites in the UK within the next three years.
Absorbent hygiene products (AHP) received at the plant were treated using autoclave technology to sterilise the material. It was then sorted to recover the plastic and fibre material which was used in the production of new products.
However, as of November 2012, Knowaste was still seeking fixed contracts for the sale of output materials, which it had hoped to have in place by the end of the year, and it is not known if the company had managed to secure these contracts or if this would have affected the viability of the plant.
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