Three Gross Green Products
I don’t know about you, but when someone says “green” to me, I think of fields of flowers, rainforests filled with happy animals, and clean,babbling brooks. Maybe that’s just me. I certainly don’t think of dirty diapers. The fact of the matter is, though, that there are companies out there making good use of waste. Gross? Maybe. But green? Yes!
Here are three green products made from recycled…well….poop:
Interested in recycled paper? Boston printing company Pixxlz is too, and they’ve recently decided to purchase some of their paper from Mr. Ellie Pooh Paper Company. As you may be able to guess from the name, the key ingredient in this paper is elephant dung. Thankfully, the paper isn’t scratch and sniff. Picture via 663highland at en.wikipedia.
With the push for eco-friendly fuels, the state of Idaho is looking to harness the power of cow patties. One Minnesota company, Cargill Inc., is already building a power plant that will turn manure into energy that could someday power thousands of homes. It brings a new meaning to “natural gas,” doesn’t it? Picture via Minesweeper at en.wikipedia.
Lastly, a company in Quebec is looking not to cows for their waste, but to babies. Dirty diapers put a huge strain on landfills, so engineering and project management AMEC is working on a way to turn these diapers into diesel fuel. They predict that an initial trial run of 30,000 diapers could yield 11,000 tons of diesel fuel at just 50 cents per liter. Picture via Coop41 at en.wikipedia.
I’ve heard of most of these, but the diesel fuel from diapers is a new one. I just wonder if the cost of turning the diapers into fuel is low enough to make it a usable product.