Recycled Diapers in Japan
The world's third largest diaper maker, Unicharm, will turn used diapers into new ones, which will be on store shelves in 2022.
Recycling diapers used to be a complicated process, but Unicharm has developed technology to make it more efficient. The pulp will be taken out of the diapers at its recycling facilities and turned into recycled pulp with an ozone sterilization system. This comes at a time when there is an increased amount of diaper waste in Japan, due to its rapidly aging population and diaper demand in the elderly.
Another diaper maker, Kao, is working to reduce diaper waste by making the used diapers into plastic pellets, but Unicharm is the first direct recycling scheme.
I have always kept my distance from diapers and hope I can continue to do so. I'm all for recycling, but diapers? Do you want your baby or your elderly parent (or yourself) wearing diapers that used to be someone else's diapers? What do you think?
6 comments:
Pamela: I am not sure about this, wow I myself would not want to wear something that was anywhere close to someone's bottom, even if it has been sterilized, ewwww.
And what happens to all that plastic that is around a disposable diaper, hmmm just curious.
Merry Christmas
Catherine
Good to hear recycling is happening, but what chemical process do they have to go through first I wonder?
In the past everyone used reusable/washable nappies. Cloth nappies were either washed by hand, or later on, on a hot cycle in the washing machine. When I first came to Japan, 40 years ago, it was easy to see which households had babies as there were freshly washed nappies drying outside.
With more mothers going out to work, more small children being cared for in nurseries, and more elderly people in need of nappies, the demand for disposable nappies grew. Understandably no ne wants to wash someone else's soiled nappies, you need a 'mother's (or daughter-in-law's) love' for that! Then it became a huge garbage problem.
In modern society recycling/reusing is now in focus, so I am not surprised by the actions taken by the manufacturers.
As for me, I will try to stay fit enough not to need these items, and hope my ageing relatives will do the same. Alas, the day will probably come when I have to choose between Napisan and dry pailing, toss-away nappies, or should I go for the reused/recycled type?
I'm sure they'll make them sanitary but it sounds a little ugly to me! Still, if they can figure out a safe way to recycle, more power to them!
My first tought is 'ew', but I know today's recycling standards, at least in countries like Japan, are very high. I'd trust the recycled diapers to be sanitary and safe.
“Ew”!
I’m sure there would be certain standards but ..... “ew”!
Even keeping fit, you just don’t know what will happen in the future - scarey!!
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