Germany has only a small amount of its own natural oil reserves, but an enterprising power plant chief believes it has found an alternative source of energy with a bright future in an ageing nation - used incontinence pads.
"It's an environmentally friendly source of energy," said Thomas Lesche, director of a Bremen incinerator plant that has signed a pioneering deal with a local retirement home to buy up 100 tons of used pads and soiled tissues each year.
"The pollution emissions with used pads are far lower than with oil or coal," added Lesche, who said he did not know of any other plant in Europe that turns incontinence pads into energy. "The content of nappies provide a great source of energy. The demand for used incontinence materials will grow in the future."
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Lesche said the used pads may not be quite as good a source of energy as conventional fossil fuels such as oil, but he added they were nearly as efficient a source of energy as lignite, a softer coal with a higher water content.
"On top of that, it's much better for the environment to turn the waste into energy by incinerating it than leaving the pads to rot," Lesche said, "It's a sensible way to save natural resources."
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Argus on December 23, 2003
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