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Three times a week, a strange ballet takes place between the capital and its suburbs: trucks tour several nurseries in the Paris region to collect a precious sesame: the used diapers of their babies.
Their destination?
The Alchimistes composter in Pantin, which transforms their contents into fertile soil in the space of two and a half months.
Les Alchimistes, an ESUS approved company (social utility company) co-founded and chaired by Alexandre Guilluy, has been composting food waste in Île-de-France for four years (up to 700 tonnes per year).
Two years ago, the young shoot began to compost the layers of young Parisians.
It was initially a project financially supported by Ademe to assess the possible environmental risks of such an approach.
The initiative seems relevant to say the least: with a market of 3.5 billion used diapers in France per year - or one million tonnes - which end up incinerated, so many nutrients go up in smoke.
However, as explained by Maïwenn Mollet, director of the Fertile Layers project within the Alchemists,
“a layer is very rich in bio-organic and biodegradable materials, coming not only from excrement but also from cellulose”.
A first compostable layer launched with an Intermarché subsidiary
After a first phase of testing with several nurseries trained in sorting, the team came to the conclusion that to be optimal, the approach must be based on the compost of biodegradable layers.
Otherwise, the Alchemists team must isolate non-compostable materials, such as plastic scratches.
The start-up is carrying out its experimental phase on a wasteland in Pantin.
Alchemists
Hence the idea of calling on manufacturers to manufacture these new generation diapers.
A first partnership was sealed with the Celluloses de Brocéliande company (Intermarché group) which launched its first compostable diaper last October, distributed in five nurseries in Paris and Pantin.
The objective of this tandem is to compost 100,000 products per year on the Alchimistes site in Pantin.
The young growth has invested in two other composters (to the tune of 20,000 to 30,000 euros for each), which will soon accommodate products from other baby hygiene manufacturers.
The compost then lands with horticulturalists in the region.
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Last December, a research consortium, the Couches Fertiles Lab, was set up on the Renée.e wasteland in Pantin to assess the compostability of compostable diapers in real industrial composting conditions before they are put on the market.
This 2,000 square meter site, located on a former petrol station, is also occupied by an urban nursery of the Pépins production association, which shares with Les Alchimistes the objective of soil rebirth.
The latter has set up a traveling greenhouse there, organizes participatory workshops and composting training with local residents.
Once crushed, the layers are mixed with wood residues in an electromechanical composter for two weeks, before two months of maturation.
Alchemists
Ultimately, the start-up is targeting a market driven by regulation.
As a result of the law dedicated to the fight against waste and the circular economy, passed in February 2020, which provides for extended producer responsibility in 2024, an end-of-life management system for textile waste will be set up. disposable sanitary facilities.
“
We want to position ourselves as a service provider.
Until then, the demand may come from the cities, but when it comes to manufacturers to finance, we will be ready, ”
explains Maïwenn Molle.
