The business of compost!
A school project conducted by a 14 year old is now turning into a business reality with the support of Huggies. You can learn more by reading the following article written by Arwen Hann – The Press (Friday, 28 March 2008).
School project leads to nappy compost business
A Christchurch girl’s school science project is being developed into a business thanks to a Rangiora couple, a Canterbury firm and a multi-national company.
In 2003, Natalie Crimp, then 14, scooped an Environment Canterbury prize for her science project on composting dirty disposable nappies. She shredded the nappies and threw them into a rotating drum with plenty of leaves, turning it regularly and ensuring it was kept warm. Six weeks later she had compost which could be easily separated from the non-biodegradable plastic.
Last year, Rangiora couple Karen and Karl Upston, who sell cloth and disposable nappies from home, trialled a nappy composting service for disposable nappies using the same process as Natalie.
Now, in partnership with Canterbury company R5 Solutions and sponsored by Kimberly-Clark, which sells Huggies nappies, the Upstons are expanding their business and launching New Zealand’s first nappy composting service.
The new composting plant using R5’s HotRot technology will be able to process about two and a half tonnes, or about 15,000 nappies a day.
Parents will store their used nappies in special bags which will be collected weekly or fortnightly for a small charge.
Eventually they hope to process up to 10 tonnes or 60,000 nappies a day and have the nappies collected as part of council waste collections.
“We were surprised by the sheer number of people waiting for this type of service to be made available and willing to travel and pay for it,” Upston said.
“(During the trial) we had families travelling for up to one hour in each direction to drop off their disposable nappies.”
Natalie’s mother, Jeanne Crimp, said her daughter, now studying at a US university, was pleased with the development.
“I think at the time, being a young person, she was a bit disappointed that something didn’t happen immediately,” Crimp said.
“She thought she had this brilliant idea but the grown-ups weren’t jumping up and down to pick it up.
“She is pleased that something has happened now though, and has sent her best wishes George and Karen and everyone involved.”
Green Party spokesman for the environment Nandor Tanczos said he was pleased to see a company like Kimberly-Clark supporting environmental projects.
While he would continue to use reusable nappies, the move gave parents another option he said.
The first plant opened on the 7th of August 2009.