Motorists using a stretch of road in Mid Wales wouldn’t know it but since last month they have been driving on recycled nappies.

An initiative involving eco-friendly baby care business Pura and nappy recycling experts NappiCycle has seen used nappies repurposed for a road resurfacing trial on a 1.4-mile section of the A487 between Aberteifi and Aberystwyth.

Paving the way for a greener future, the innovative new surface, which has had support from the Welsh Government, opened to the public in February.

The new surface contains more than 107,000 used nappies, finding a useful purpose for some of the three billion nappies disposed of in the UK each year.

More than 400,000 tonnes of disposable nappy waste ends up in landfill each year, while used nappies can take up to 500 years to degrade.

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, providing a green solution to road resurfacing for the Welsh Government.

County Times:

Rob Poyer, founder of Welsh firm NappiCycle, developed a cost-effective process for recycling nappies in 2009.

Used nappies are cleansed, and plastics and cellulose fibres separated for re-use,” he said.

“100% of the soiled nappies are processed, so absolutely nothing is sent to landfill – even the urine extracted from the nappies is reutilised!”

The recovered cellulose can be repurposed not just for road surfacing, but for noticeboards 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 the local authority. Award-winning baby care brand Pura, led by entrepreneur Guy Fennell, teamed up with NappiCycle in 2020.

Already leading the fight to remove plastic from baby wipes, the Pura-NappiCycle partnership was a logical progression as Guy sought to find 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”.

Together, Pura-NappiCycle already prevents more than 800,000 nappies from being landfilled in Wales every single week.

Guy’s mission is to now bring nappy recycling to the entire UK, starting with a nappy recycling trial in Bristol which is set to launch in the coming months.

He said: “Pura provides parents with nappy change essentials that are kind to their baby and their planet, while still being affordable and convenient.

“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 resurfacing 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 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.”

Pura and NappiCycle could be in the running for recognition at The County Times's sister paper, The National Environmental Awards, which take place later this year.

Nominations are now open for the awards, so if you or anyone you know deserves to be recognised for their work helping the environment, click here.