Four Scottish councils are set to trial a disposable nappy recycling scheme that will see used nappies recycled into new products such as garden furniture and roof tiles. This follows on from similar trials launched in March by councils in England and Wales.

Around 160 million nappies are sent to rubbish dumps in Scotland annually, but over the next six weeks around 36,000 homes in Fife, Stirling, Perth and Kinross and North Lanarkshire will be able to recycle their disposable nappies alongside the rest of their recycling. If successful, the scheme could be offered nationwide in the future.

Funded by Zero Waste Scotland, the weekly collection scheme will see disposable nappies, incontinence products and other related items like wet wipes, nappy sacks and cotton wool, being sent to the Knowaste plant in West Bromwich, where it will be sterilised, and the plastics and fibres reprocessed into new items such as park benches, garden furniture, decking, bollards, railway sleepers, fencing, roof tiles and cardboard.

Aside from the kerbside collection, nappies will also be accepted at the St Andrews Household Waste Recycling Centre in Fife and Stobscross Household Waste Recycling Centre in North Lanarkshire.

Iain Gulland, Director of Zero Waste Scotland introduced the scheme today (14 June), saying: “Piloting different methods of collection for these products allow us to evaluate the system people prefer and are most likely to use. 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. I would urge those living in the pilot areas to take up the scheme.”

Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead welcomed the scheme: “Disposable nappies, although convenient, do have a huge impact on the environment with a staggering 450,000 ending up in landfill each day in Scotland. 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 reuse our waste and treat it as a valuable resource with the potential to boost our economy.”

The reaction to the scheme has been largely positive, with one local childminder, Sheila Sangster, saying she’d wished it had been introduced earlier. “Although recycling at home has got a lot easier over recent years, nappies are something that I’ve always just put in the bin. This new service offers me an easy alternative, meaning that instead of going to landfill, this waste can be put to good use. I wish this service had been available 30 years ago when I first started childminding!”

Roy Brown, Chief Executive of Knowaste said he looked forward to the trial: “Our plant is a specialist recycling facility, which is the first of its kind in the UK. We use new technology to allow us to turn absorbent hygiene products, previously unsuitable for recycling, into valuable plastics and fibres, which can then be used to make new products. We are delighted to support the trial collection services in Scotland, which we hope will lead to a wider adoption of the recycling service across the country.”

More information on the disposable nappy recycling scheme can be found on the Zero Waste Scotland website.

To learn more about the process of recycling nappies, see Resource's feature article on the subject.