bemoreeco

Bicycles helmets, shoe insoles, roof tiles and biodegradable plant pots could soon all be made from recycled nappies. At present, the vast majority of the 2.8bn nappies used each year in Britain end up in landfill.

A new recycling plant in Birmingham will take 36,000 tonnes of used nappies each year and transform it into a plastic will be used initially in the manufacture of roof tiles but which could later be used in a wide variety of products.

Nappies contain plastic, fibres, cellulose and polymers – all of which have the potential to be recycled. It is hoped that within two years, methane will be extracted from the used nappies and sold to the national grid.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Cycling is already green, but cyclists who buy these helmets will also be doing their bit to reduce landfill.”

Used nappies are to be collected initially only from nurseries and care homes to begin with, but as the recycling services offered by local councils continues to improve, kerbside collections and disposal points at supermarkets and other locations may be introduced.

Source; ETA