DISPOSABLE DIAPER RECYCLING TRIAL IN FURANO, HOKKAIDO, JAPAN

Abstract

The population in Japan peaked around 2010;; however, the population has since begun to shrink. The average lifetimes of males and females in Japan are 81 and 87 years, respectively. Long lifetimes and low birth rates have transformed Japan into a “super--aging society”. The amount of discarded disposable diapers is increasing globally as well as in Japan, and the final processing stage in majority of these cases is incineration or landfill. However, there are two recycling systems in Japan, including material recycling and thermal recycling. In material recycling, the high--quality pulp recycled from waste diapers is converted into material for newly reproduced diaper (in trial) or wall board, the low--quality pulp and sludge are converted into a soil enhancement additive, and the plastic is converted into refuse--derived plastic fuel (RPF) using a water--based system. In thermal recycling, recycled fuel is used for heating source for public bath. This increasing trend of waste diaper is also observed on a local level, such as in the city of Furano, Hokkaido, Japan, where they are sent to an incinerator. Furano has attempted to thermally recycle hygiene waste, including disposable diaper and pet litter, for a year. This thermal recycle is analyzed, and this recycle can save CO2 emission in comparison with the conventional processing (incineration and landfill). A combination of thermal recycling and refuse--derived fuel (RDF), which is conducting there, is considered to be viable for handling disposable diapers in Furano.