A stretch of road in Wales has been resurfaced using dirty nappies in a new sustainability initiative.
The 1.4-mile stretch of the A487 between Cardigan and Aberystwyth will open to traffic this week with a new surface constituting more than 107,000 used nappies.
The initiative is supported by the Welsh Government and could provide a useful purpose for the billions of dirty nappies disposed of in the UK each year.
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The new initiative is run between baby care business Pura and nappy recycling experts NappiCycle.
Each year, 3 billion nappies are disposed of in the UK, with 400,000 tonnes of nappy waste in landfill annually. These used nappies can take up to 500 years to break down.
For the road resurfacing project, a total of 4.3 tonnes of recovered fibre from the nappies was added to the bitumen that glues together asphalt road surfaces. The “nappy-enhanced” asphalt is even more durable than standard asphalt, but with a reduced carbon footprint.
Rob Poyer, founder of NappiCycle, developed the process in 2009. Used nappies are cleaned, and plastics and cellulose fibres separated for re-use. 100% of the soiled nappies are processed, so nothing is sent to landfill - even the urine extracted from the nappies is re-utilised.
The recovered cellulose can be re-purposed not just for road surfacing, but for notice boards for schools and offices, panelling, under laminate flooring and other insulation. The service is currently only available to parents in Wales, where it is funded by local authorities.
Baby care brand Pura teamed up with NappiCycle in 2020. Founder Guy Fennell wanted a more circular solution for wipes and nappy waste. Since forming the partnership, Guy has frequently addressed politicians about the environmental problems posed by nappy waste, earning him the mantle “The Nappy Guy”.
The scheme already prevents more than 800,000 nappies from being sent to landfill in Wales every single week. Guy’s mission is to bring nappy recycling to the entire UK, starting with a nappy recycling trial in Bristol which is set to launch in the coming months.
Commenting on the initiative, Guy said: “Despite extensive research, the technology for the perfect eco-friendly disposable nappy unfortunately doesn’t exist yet.
"As we seek that solution, we are determined to drive change and minimise the damage nappies are having on the planet. That’s why it was crucial that we partner with NappiCycle and make nappy recycling a reality for all UK parents.
“The road re-surfacing is just one fantastic example of how recycled nappies - that would have otherwise ended up in landfill - can be put to really good use.”
Rob Poyer, NappiCycle founder, added: “This type of road surface material has huge potential for producing more sustainable roadways with a lower carbon impact. With this trial we hope to demonstrate that waste nappies could be widely adopted in our roads, not just here in Wales, but right around the UK.”
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