In 2022, Wales found an unusual use for something most people never think twice about after throwing it away: used nappies. Around 4.3 tonnes of fibres recovered from more than 100,000 nappies were processed and used in resurfacing part of the A487 between Cardigan and Aberystwyth. The material replaced some of the conventional road-making material that would otherwise have been imported from Europe.
The idea was not simply about putting waste into a road. The nappies were cleaned and separated, allowing useful fibres to be recovered instead of sending them straight to landfill.
