In Scotland, a recycling program for disposable diapers

Zero Waste Scotland has devised a scheme whereby used diapers will be recycled and converted into items such as garden furniture or roof tiles.

Disposable diapers are an environmental scourge that have long challenged even the best-laid recycling plans, but a new trial program in Scotland aims to tackle the problem on a broad scale once and for all. Motivated by the 160 million diapers that get sent to landfills in Scotland each year, Zero Waste Scotland has devised a scheme whereby used “nappies,” as they’re called there, will be recycled and converted into items such as garden furniture or roof tiles. Four Scottish councils comprising some 36,000 homes are eligible to participate in the six-week pilot test, which began last month. Diapers are collected at curbside pickups, or they can be dropped off at recycling centers; next, they’re recycled to create a range of products including park benches, garden furniture, decking, bollards, railway sleepers, fencing, roof tiles and cardboard. Part of the program’s aim is to establish whether it’s practical to expand the service in the future, Zero Waste Scotland says. Convenient though they may be, disposable diapers are an environmental challenge around the globe. Are there other disposable products that could be put to good use in the community? Spotted by: Hemanth Chandrasekar