Populations are rising fast, which will create more AHP waste.
o The world population of more than 6 billion people is set to increase to nearly 8 billion people by 2025.
o The population of Canada is currently 33 million people
o The population of the United States is currently 308 million people
The use of disposable diapers has increased over the past 20 years as a result of their convenience. A typical baby will use 6,000 disposable diapers before being potty trained at an average age of 2.5 years. That is two tonnes of AHPs going into landfill or incineration for each baby that wears disposable diapers.
· In the United States, an estimated 15 billion disposable diapers are used each year - generating over 2.4 million tonnes of waste going mostly to landfill
· In Canada the estimated number of disposable diapers used each year is 1.5 billion - generating about a quarter of a million tonnes of waste going to landfill
Adult incontinence product usage is rising as well.
· People are living longer
· Baby boomers are retiring
Given that at least 50% of nursing home residents in the US and Canada suffer from incontinence, it is easy to see that this is a growing problem.
Feminine hygiene products also contribute to the growing problem of AHP use. In Canada, almost 10 million women use sanitary protection products which generate over 133,000 tonnes of waste per year. In the US, approximately 92 million women use sanitary protection products generating over 1.2 million tonnes of waste per year.
The Knowaste process can recycle all of these AHPs: nappies, adult incontinence products and feminine hygiene products.
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