On Monday December 5th 2022 we hosted the official launch of the Nappy Trials conducted by Kimberly Clarke, CSIRO and us over the last year. Its been a fantastic project to work on and we’re excited to see how this impacts the future of Nappy recycling in the country and beyond. See the ABC article about it here
Official Press Release
Kimberly-Clark launches innovative Australian-first nappy recycling trial – Click here to see press release on their Website
Nappy Loop | FAQs
How the Nappy Loop Trial process works:
- Firstly, used nappies at G8 Education’s Welly Road Early Learning Centre in Mount Barker, South Australia are placed in a special Nappy Loop
- Used nappies are then collected by Solo Resource Recovery Systems and sent to Peats Soil and Garden Supplies for processing.
- Next, the nappies are put through a shredder and dryer to dewater the nappies and separate as much of the plastic from the organic material as possible.
- Next, the organic material, such as pulp and baby poo, is put through the Anaerobic Digester, transforming the soiled nappies into nutrient-rich compost.
- The biogas generated from the anaerobic digestion is captured and is available as a renewable energy source to power the Peats Brinkley site.
- The Nappy Loop team is now exploring the opportunity to scale the program in South Australia and nationally. This includes partnering with APR Plastics to test the recycling of the recovered plastic from the nappies using pyrolysis, with the aim of having results available in early 2023.
FAQs
- What is anaerobic digestion?
Anaerobic digestion is an increasingly common process in industrial composting to break down biodegradable waste. Little microbes break down the waste (such as food and drink products, and now nappies) and, in our case, the result is nutrient-rich compost and bioenergy.
- Is anaerobic digestion common in Australia? How many anaerobic digesters are active across the country?
It is a growing area of focus and opportunity for Australia with approx. 300 digesters active across the country. In other countries like Canada, it has been used as a way to process organics including nappies, for years!
- What will the compost be used for?
Given we are still in trial phase, we are still working through what the compost will be used for but we hope that one day it could be used just like the many other compost options available in market.
- Will it be used in agricultural farming or for at home use?
Given we are still in trial phase, we are still working through what the compost will be used for but we hope that one day it could be used just like the many other compost options available in market.
- If you are still testing the quality of the compost, how do you know that it is nutrient rich?
CSIRO has tested the nutrient composition of the digestate generated from the AD process which feeds into the composting process, and have confirmed the nutrients would not be lost.
- What about the waste in the nappy (poo and urine)? Will that end up in the compost?
Yes – all the organic matter will end up in the compost. The great thing about anaerobic digestion technology is that once the used nappy has passed through the digestion phase, it is fed into the composting process where it will undergo significant pasteurisation over a period of 12-16 weeks; with temperatures reaching 50-70 degrees Celsius.
- Is there a risk of microplastics in the compost?
In our process, the plastic and organic material in the nappies are separated from the start. CSIRO has done some initial tests using a fast-screening method and microplastic fragments were not observed in the 28-day digestate. We are now undertaking more robust testing as ensuring microplastics do not make their way to the compost is essential to meet certification standards.
- Could this trial extend to incontinence / adult diaper wear/period products?
This would be fantastic and certainly something Kimberly-Clark will look at in the future. Our goal is to scale the work currently underway and unlock further recycling opportunities from there.
- Is recycling really better than manufacturers moving to biodegradable and compostable nappies?
Recycling is critical to address the problem of disposable nappy waste now and into the future. In the meantime, it’s also really important that manufacturers innovate and find more sustainable product options – this is something we are passionately focusing on.
- What are you doing with the plastic?
Recycling the plastic from nappies is not an easy task due to the available infrastructure to recycle it, however we are actively evaluating recycling options for the future. This includes partnering with APR Plastics to test the recycling of the recovered plastic from the nappies using pyrolysis, with the aim of having results available in early 2023.
- If this is the first of its kind in Australia – where in the North are they doing this successfully?
In Canada, the city of Toronto has been collecting nappies kerbside for many years as part of their green bin (food and organic waste) collections. The waste is taken to the city’s anaerobic digestors and turned into quality compost. We are using the same technology to process disposable nappies here in Australia.
- Are there other nappy recycling solutions in Australia?
Yes, there are a couple of smaller trials currently underway which is great because this is a big issue we need to address. What we are aiming to achieve is a fully circular solution for disposable nappies that can be scaled across the country.
- What makes this process scalable?
Now that we have commenced a trial, our next step is to work through how we could scale this program. There is a very similar, but much larger program that has been running in the city of Toronto Canada for 20 years, which recycles the city’s food waste and organics, as well as nappies. This shows the model could be rolled-out on a much larger scale.
- How many anaerobic digesters do you need to process the 1.5 billion nappies being generated nationally every year?
5 billion nappies are a lot of nappies going to landfill so we need a few. Anaerobic digestion is becoming an increasingly common way to process biodegradable and organic waste. There are approx. 300 digesters active across the country.
- How long will it take to roll this out nationally?
This is still to be confirmed. Our trial was our first step. Our next step is to focus on scaling. There is a very similar, but much larger program that has been running in the city of Toronto Canada for 20 years, which recycles the city’s food waste and organics, as well as nappies. This shows the model could be rolled-out on a much larger scale.
- There have been a few attempts to recycle nappies in Australia – how do you know yours will work well into the future?
What’s different about our solution in Australia is that we are using anaerobic digestion to turn the disposable nappies into nutrient-rich compost. This model has been working successfully in Toronto for 20 years, recycling a good percentage of the city’s organic waste including nappies! The benefit of starting with a trial is that it enables us to test and learn and initial results have been positive. Our next step is to really focus on scaling.
- What was the role of CSIRO in this project?
Kimberly-Clark engaged CSIRO to provide an independent and scientifically robust feasibility and cost analysis study for nappy recycling. They have provided some initial data that shows that the anaerobic digestion process was beneficial in biodegrading the organic matter in nappies, and turning the organic components into nutrient-rich compost and biogas. A full report will be delivered in a couple of weeks.
This CSIRO research aligns to CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste Mission, which has a goal of an 80 per cent reduction in plastic waste entering the Australian environment by 2030.
- What is the ‘organic matter’ in the nappy?
The organic matter consists of pulp, pee and poo. That’s pretty much it!
- How much plastic is there in a nappy
Our Huggies nappies are made up of approximately 40% pulp and 60% plastic (about half of which contains superabsorbent polymer – the material that absorbs the wee and poo). Kimberly-Clark are working hard to reduce this plastic content and in 2021 alone, they reduced 232 tonnes of plastic across their nappies.
- You’re suggesting that human pee and poo should be used in compost?
Yes! The great thing about anaerobic digestion technology is that once the used nappy has passed through the digestion phase, it is fed into the composting process where it will undergo pasteurisation over a period of 12-16 weeks, with temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees Celsius. We are still working with CSIRO to evaluate the quality of the compost to ensure that it meets existing regulations and industry standards.
- What elements / percentage of the nappy cannot be recycled in this process? What happens to this waste?
Our goal is to recycle every single bit of the nappy. We are turning the organics (pulp, pee and poo) into nutrient rich compost. As for the plastic, this is separated at the start of the process and we are partnering with APR Plastics to test the recycling of the recovered plastic from the nappies using pyrolysis, with the aim of having results available in early 2023.
- When will this program /trial be available in other states?
The trial has been underway since July and initial results show that the anaerobic digestion process was beneficial in biodegrading the organic matter in nappies. Our next step is to work through how we can scale the program. We have a fair bit of work to do but we are passionately focussed on growing the program as soon as possible.
- When will the program/trial be available to households (not just early learning and care centres)?
For now, we are focusing on collections from a couple of G8 Education early learning centres but collecting nappies kerbside would really be the ultimate. We’re working on it!
- Are only Huggies nappies being collected as part of this trial?
Yes – Kimberly-Clark exclusively supplies Huggies nappies to the Welly Road Early Learning Centre where we are picking up the used nappies, so for the purposes of this trial, just Huggies nappies are being recycled. However, Kimberly-Clark’s goal is to help solve the issue of nappy waste in Australia and so the goal is to recycle as many nappies as possible.
- How can we take part in future trials?
For now, we are focusing on collections from a couple of G8 Education early learning centres only. We hope that in the future we will be able to open up the program to more organisations.
The Nappy Loop project shows the power of collective impact – we have brought together teams from several industries – consumers goods, waste recovery, childcare and research – and together we have found a potentially viable recycling solution to Australia’s nappy waste.
- When will you have initial results from this trial?
CSIRO has been working to validate the trial and their research has shown the potential of anaerobic digestion technology for processing disposable nappies. The full report is due to be finalised very soon.
- How many nappies have you diverted as part of the pilot?
So far, we have recovered close to 2 tonnes of used disposable nappies.
- How much plastic have you recycled?
We separate the plastic from the nappies at the start of the process and are currently partnering with APR Plastics to test the recycling of the recovered plastic from the nappies using pyrolysis, with the aim of having results available in early 2023.
