Ammanford – In the first phase of a new recycling trial in the UK, Asda supplier Pura, in partnership with NappiCycle, recovered 6.3 tons of diaper waste – the equivalent of 31,500 used items.

The Pura NappiCycle trial was supported in an awareness drive by Asda and launched in July 2022.

It saw diaper and other absorbent hygiene product waste collected in Bristol then taken to South Wales for processing into other materials such as engineered fibre for road surfaces, notice boards, panelling, insulation and under laminate flooring.

During the trial involving 50 participants and two nurseries, there were 13 fortnightly kerb-side collections over six months with all miles said to have been carbon offset.

“Every year, three billion disposable diapers are thrown into landfill in the UK, each one taking hundreds of years to break down,” said Pura founder Guy Fennell. “Pura is on a mission to change that. The success of this phase of the trial is just the start – we want to bring this recycling service to households throughout the UK. This requires investment and government backing which as a business we will continue to lobby for.”

“At Asda, we’re delighted to give brands the platform to do right for the environment and our customers,” said Asda baby buying manager Hayleigh Edson. “Supporting Pura in saving diapers from ending up in landfill is exactly the work we love to get involved with and support.”

Following the trial, Pura and NappiCycle have now agreed a five-year exclusive extension to their partnership agreement. The goal is to deliver more, larger scale diaper recycling trials and develop the underlying technology, as well as to continue to drive government and local authorities to deliver a UK-wide service available to all absorbent hygiene product users.

“Pura's investment in our partnership has been fundamental to the continuing development of our diaper recycling technology,” said Rob Poyer founder of NappiCycle.