A kerbside collection trial is underway in several areas of Scotland to help recycle the 160 million nappies landfilled every year in the country into roof tiles and benches.
Funded by Zero Waste Scotland, nappies will be collected from around 36,000 homes in Fife, Stirling, Perth and Kinross, and North Lanarkshire. The nappies, as well as incontinence products and other related items, will then be taken to a facility in West Bromwich, operated by Knowaste.
The Knowaste recycling process sterilises the materials using autoclave technology and sorts and separates the wastes to recover highly valuable plastic and fibre materials for re-use in new products.
Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said, "This innovative new scheme is a fantastic step forward for recycling and makes it easier for parents to do their bit for the environment. It's great that new technologies allow us to recycle even more materials. In this way, we can re-use our waste and treat it as a valuable resource with the potential to boost our economy."
Iain Gulland from Zero Waste Scotland said, "Turning nappies and other absorbent hygiene products into products like decking and benches might sound surprising, but putting them to good use is far better than sending them to landfill."
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