Bruges (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Woosh, led by CEO Jef Stubbe, helps 1,300 daycare centres in Belgium recycle diapers, stopping 2,000 tons of waste yearly. They plan to expand to private users with “give-back points” while working on better ways to recycle organic diaper materials.
Woosh has made a new system to deal with the waste from disposable diapers. These diapers create a lot of trash and are hard to recycle. The company has worked on this system for a few years. Now, it helps 1,300 daycare centres across Belgium.
Woosh delivers fresh diapers to these centres every week or every two weeks. At the same time, they pick up the used diapers. They mentioned that this process helps manage waste in a better way. Instead of going to landfills, the used diapers are taken to a recycling plant in Bruges. This system aims to reduce the impact of disposable diapers on the environment.
“Today we deliver diapers to 1,300 daycare centres,”
explains CEO Jef Stubbe.
“We go every week or every two weeks and then we also pick up the dirty diapers again.”
How is Woosh in Bruges tackling the challenges of diaper recycling?
According to authorities, at the recycling centre in Bruges, used diapers go through a special process. They are broken down into two main parts: plastics and organic material. The plastic parts, like the outer layers and linings, can be separated and turned into new products.
They mentioned that the organic material, which is the absorbent part of the diapers, is harder to deal with. Woosh has not found a good way to reuse this material yet. Even though the company has made great progress in reducing the waste from disposable diapers with its system.
Woosh has a challenge with the organic material in used diapers. There are traces of medicine in the waste. These traces make the organic material unsafe to use right now. Despite this, Woosh is working hard to improve its recycling process. In the coming years, the company plans to develop a way to treat and reuse this organic material. Their goal is to create a complete recycling system for diaper waste.
According to Alby Roseveare, the Chief Technology Officer, their program stops about 2,000 tons of used diapers from going to landfills every year. That is like 200,000 full garbage bags. He mentioned that this shows how good their system is for the environment.
Alby Roseveare mentioned that Woosh wants to do even more. Their main goal is to create a world without diaper waste. They work hard every day to reach this goal. By continuing to improve, Woosh hopes to solve the problems caused by disposable diapers and set a good example for waste management around the world.
“By recycling our ‘give-back diaper’, we prevent 2,000 tons of diapers from simply ending up on the landfill every year,”
Says CTO Alby Roseveare.
“That’s the equivalent of about 200,000 full garbage bags.
Woosh mainly helps daycare centres, but now they also serve private users. People can order their ‘give-back diapers’ from the Woosh webshop. These diapers can be delivered to their homes or daycare centres.
In the future, Woosh plans to set up ‘give-back points’ across Belgium. Here, people can return their used Woosh diapers easily. They mentioned that this is part of Woosh’s plan to make their recycling system available to more people. They want everyone to have a way to dispose of diapers sustainably, not just daycare centres.
“Our next mission is to provide ‘give-back points’ throughout Belgium so that private individuals can easily return their Woosh diapers everywhere,
Says Stubbe.
According to Stubbe, the recycling process has some challenges. It is costly and complicated. Woosh needs to collect, transport, and process diapers while following environmental rules. He mentioned that to help with these costs, Woosh partners with daycare centres.
They deliver fresh diapers and pick up used ones regularly. Woosh is also reaching out to private users. He mentioned that this way, they can continue their recycling program and make improvements.
“The recycling process brings many challenges and costs for us,”
Stubbe says
