How Diapers Become Fruit Trees
On average, one baby goes through 4,500 diapers in its lifetime. Once diapers are disposed, they contribute to 10% of household waste. In this way, in Germany, around 500,000 tons of disposable diapers are incinerated every year, producing waste which amounts to more than 12,000 trucks in a row. Ms. Ayumi Matsuzaka intends to target this issue through her Berlin-based startup Dycle.
Dycle stands for “Diaper Cycle” and tackles the production, usage and recycling processes of baby diapers. Dycle offers 100% biobased diapers which are collected and composted. A specific type of soil evolves throughout the composting process which is particularly fertile for fruit trees and which could then be procured for baby food or fruit production. Dycle experts estimate that one year’s supply of diapers from one child can result in the production of 1000kg of soil.
In addition to reducing waste and increasing sustainable diaper production, Dycle encourages the formation of urban communities. A community of around 100 families from a similar neighborhood will meet on a regular basis at specific diaper collection/ distribution points, planting trees and connecting with each other.
Dycle piloted in 2015 in Berlin and is currently in the process of launching the first “Dycle community” in Berlin, informing Dycle members regularly on updates through the Dycle “Humusletter.”