Recycle used diapers and sanitary napkins...

We are all engaged in the separate collection of waste every day, not without inconvenience. Among all our waste, however, there are some that are particularly hateful: I'm talking about used diapers and sanitary pads! Do you know how many we produce in a year, only in our country (Italy)? 900.000 tons! A mountain of waste that ends up among the "undifferentiated", ie in landfills or at most in a so-called waste-to-energy plant (former incinerator).

Today, however, in Italy, there is a first plant specializing in the recycling of this annoying waste! In the province of Treviso, in the municipality of Spresiano, this plant is engaged in the conversion of such waste into reusable products.

Yes... I know exactly what you are wondering... it's the same question I asked myself: "what can ever be produced with used diapers and sanitary pads?"

You may not believe it but... for each ton (1000 kg) of this waste, 3 distinct materials are obtained:

• 75 Kg of plastic
• 150 Kg of Cellulose
• 75 Kg of super absorbent polymer

Plastic is reused in the production of many common items, such as coat hangers and clothespins:

Cellulose is normally reused in paper mills, or for the production of noble fabrics such as viscose and rayon:

The super absorbent polymer is reused for the production of "absorbent bedding" for pets, as well as in flower crops or in the insulation of electrical cables:

To date, the Spresiano (TV) plant is not fully operational. Used diapers and sanitary pads are collected only in 900 neighboring municipalities. But the intention is to optimize and increase the separate collection of this waste! A special intelligent bin has even been designed and built, equipped with an internal sanitization system using nozzles that nebulize anti-odor and anti-insect enzymes!

The first to adopt and experiment with it, starting from January 2020, was the city of Verona with 8 bins of this type. Users can collect the diaper bags for free at the partner shops to dispose of the waste up to the dumpster. They can also download a special smartphone application that allows automatic opening and closing of the bin, as well as weighing the collected waste. Every 5 kg of absorbent material delivered, you receive, through the App, a discount voucher of € 1,50 for the purchase of new nappies in the same affiliated shops! This is a commendable initiative, which seeks to reward those who dedicate themselves to separate waste collection.

When the Spresiano recycling plant will be fully operational, it will be possible to dispose of used diapers and sanitary pads for 10.000 tons per year, avoiding incinerating this waste and emitting over 3000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere... an amount that can be disposed of with a forest of 95.000 trees!

In short... in terms of "used diapers"... the Italian example is a truly innovative project, which could be imitated throughout the rest of the world!

Please note. Source of images: web