What Knowaste does

Knowaste Technologies is a private waste-recycling technology company that holds worldwide patents for the mechanical and chemical processing of absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) — including disposable baby diapers, adult incontinence products, feminine hygiene items, and disposable bed liners — into sanitized reusable cellulose fiber and plastic pellet outputs. Its core process uses shredding, pulping, polymer-deactivation chemistry, and washing/screening stages to recover up to 98% of input material from the waste stream, with plant designs scaled between 36,000 and 70,000 tonnes per year. Each plant is engineered to produce approximately 4,000 tpa of plastic pellets (marketed at roughly $350/ton) and 8,000 tpa of recycled fiber (marketed at roughly $300/ton), with end uses spanning cardboard packaging, concrete and tarmac additives, insulation, pet bedding/litter, and injection-molded products.

Founded in 1989 in Toronto, Canada, and reorganized under a U.S. (Delaware) LLC following a June 2020 management buyout by CEO Roy Brown, Knowaste shifted from operating its own recycling facilities to a resource-provision model. The company now generates revenue primarily through exclusive territorial licensing of its patented technology to vetted local operators, supplemented by consulting services for facility design and operation, and residual direct commodity sales from its legacy Mississauga, Ontario plant. It sells through international associates — including Diaper Recycling Europe for continental Europe and Lance Anderson for South Africa — targeting investors, municipal waste contractors, national commercial waste operators, hospitals, nursing homes, childcare centers, and hygiene service providers across nine countries spanning North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania.

Name

Knowaste

Legal name

Knowaste LLC

Website

https://knowaste.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Knowaste Technologies licenses patented technology that mechanically and chemically recycles disposable diapers, incontinence products, and other absorbent hygiene waste into reusable cellulose fiber and plastic pellets, selling licenses and consulting services to operators across nine countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management & Recycling Technology

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Papers & Allied Products (2600), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Plastic Recycling Equipment & Technology Providers (Sorting, Washing, Extrusion) (EUAIAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging Waste Sorting & Recycling Technologies (Mechanical/Chemical Recycling, Sorting Systems) (IMALAMAL), Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA), Waste & Hazardous Materials Management (incl. HazMat) (BPAHAJAK)

Keywords

• AHP recycling technology
• Absorbent hygiene recycling
• Diaper recycling systems
• Waste management licensing
• Plastic fiber recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Bromsgrove

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Licensing Royalties: Knowaste licenses its patented AHP recycling technology to carefully vetted local companies on an exclusive basis globally. Revenue is generated through technology licensing fees and ongoing royalties from licensees.
2. Recycled Plastic Pellets Sales: Plants produce 4,000 tonnes per annum (11% of plant capacity) of plastic pellets sold into injection molding market for recycled products including timber replacement, molded items, diaper and hygiene bins. Current market price approximately $350 per ton.
3. Recycled Fiber Sales: Plants produce 8,000 tonnes per annum (22% of plant capacity) of recycled fiber sold for various products including cardboard packaging, concrete and tarmac additive, bricks, insulation materials, pet bedding and litter. Current market price approximately $300 per ton.
4. Consulting Services: Knowaste offers consulting services to share knowledge and expertise with product users, manufacturers, customers, suppliers, policy makers and licensing bodies. Company has gained considerable experience designing, building and operating facilities with capacity range of 36,000 to 70,000 tonnes per year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Knowaste licenses patented technology for recycling absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) including disposable baby diapers, incontinence products, feminine hygiene pads, and disposable bed-liners. The process uses a water and mechanical separation system to convert AHPs into sanitized reusable cellulose fiber and aggregated plastic pellets, removing up to 98% of AHP from the waste stream. The company shifted in 2020 from direct operations to an exclusive global licensing and consulting model for vetted local operators.

Product overview

Knowaste offers a single unified technology solution for recycling absorbent hygiene products (AHPs). The core offering is the Knowaste AHP Recycling Technology, a patented process that sanitizes and separates disposable diapers, incontinence products, and feminine hygiene items into two marketable byproducts: Recycled Plastic Pellets and Recycled Cellulose Fiber. These products are offered alongside licensing arrangements for global operators and consulting services for facility design and operation. The company shifted strategy in 2020 from direct operations to technology licensing and resource provision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Knowaste AHP Recycling Technology Patented core technology for recycling absorbent hygiene products (disposable baby diapers, incontinence products, feminine hygiene pads, and disposable bed-liners) into sanitized reusable cellulose fiber and aggregated plastic components using a water and mechanical separation process with chemical treatment to deactivate super-absorbent polymers.
• Knowaste Licensing Program Exclusive licensing of Knowaste's pioneering AHP recycling technology and know-how to carefully vetted local companies on an exclusive territorial basis for global markets where resource recycling is a priority. Targets investors, potential licensees, site owners, and joint venture partners.
• Knowaste Consulting Services
• Recycled Plastic Pellets High-quality recycled plastic output from AHP processing, compressed into pellets for the injection molding market for applications including timber replacement, molded items, and diaper/hygiene bins. Production capacity of 4,000 tonnes per annum per plant at approximately $350 per ton.
• Recycled Cellulose Fiber Clean, long-length cellulose fiber recovered from AHP processing, sold for reuse in products including cardboard packaging, concrete and tarmac additives, bricks, insulation materials, pet bedding, and litter. Production capacity of 8,000 tonnes per annum per plant at approximately $300 per ton, including on-site production of pet litter/bedding bagged for retailer/wholesaler distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 626kg of CO2e are saved for every 1 ton of AHP waste processed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Diaper Recycling EuropecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDiaper Recycling Europe, represented by Edwin Verhoef, serves as an international associate for Europe (excluding UK). The partnership focuses on bringing Knowaste's recycling process to the Netherlands market where approximately 1 billion diapers are consumed annually producing 180,000 tons of diaper waste. Diaper Recycling Europe offers local market expertise and partnership for sustainable AHP recycling solutions.
• Lance Anderson (South Africa)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLance Anderson serves as the South Africa representative for Knowaste. The partnership aims to bring Knowaste's recycling process to South Africa as a major step in reducing dependency on landfill and promoting green credentials. AHP waste is recognized as a major problem in South Africa similar to global concerns.
• Strategic Partners for Recycled Materials OfftakeflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKnowaste has secured Letters of Intent from strategic partners for the long term contractual sale of its high quality recycled plastic and fiber outputs. These partnerships ensure market offtake for the 4,000 tpa plastic pellets and 8,000 tpa fiber produced per plant, including plastic pellets for injection molding market in recycled products and fiber for pet litter/bedding production.
• Recycled Plastic Container ManufacturerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKnowaste intends to be the main supplier of recycled plastic for the manufacture of the containers that collect the AHPs for both the commercial and local authority sectors, creating a closed-loop solution for the recycling ecosystem.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Suez Group: Global environmental services and waste management incumbent operating across municipal and industrial waste streams. Suez competes for municipal AHP collection contracts and could in-source recycling capability, threatening Knowaste's exclusive licensing motion in territories it serves.
• Veolia Environnement: One of the largest waste management incumbents globally with broad recycling infrastructure. Veolia addresses AHP primarily through waste-to-energy and incineration and could become either a competitor or a potential licensee/scale partner for Knowaste's recycling technology.

Emerging players

• TOMRA: Provider of sensor-based sorting technology for material recovery facilities (MRFs). TOMRA competes in the upstream sorting and recycling equipment category where Knowaste's processes overlap, and could emerge as an alternative/competing technology stack for AHP waste separation.
• Carbios: French biotech firm developing enzymatic and biological plastic recycling processes, including for PET and other polymers found in AHP. Represents an alternative plastics recycling technology pathway that could compete with Knowaste's pellet output in the long term.
• Brightmark Energy: Specializes in plastic-to-fuel pyrolysis and advanced recycling of mixed plastics, including post-consumer streams. As an emerging player in plastic circularity, it could become an alternative destination for AHP plastic fractions versus Knowaste's pelletizing output.

Others

• Stadler Anlagenbau: German manufacturer of sorting and recycling plant technology for MRFs and plastic recycling facilities. Comparable as a complementary equipment/infrastructure supplier that Knowaste licensees might use alongside or instead of Knowaste's proprietary separation process.
• Diaper Recycling Europe: Dutch organization founded by Edwin Verhoef as a Knowaste international associate for the European market (excluding UK). Listed here as an adjacent/co-marketing entity because it is operationally distinct from Knowaste while extending its European commercial reach for AHP recycling.

Direct peers

• Fater: Italian joint venture between Angelini (formerly Procter & Gamble) and Terna Group that operates Italy's first used diaper recycling plant, processing AHP waste into cellulose and plastic outputs. It is the most direct global competitor to Knowaste's patented AHP recycling technology and commercial plant operations.

Regional players

• Biffa plc: UK-headquartered integrated waste management company with strong municipal and commercial waste operations. Biffa serves as both a potential Knowaste licensee and a competitor for AHP collection contracts in the UK, Knowaste's home market.
• Recology: Employee-owned West Coast US integrated waste hauler and recycling operator. It is comparable as a potential municipal licensee and recycling service provider competing for the same AHP feedstock streams, particularly in the California/North American regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KnowNappyWaste
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knowaste-midlands-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Knowaste