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WALES TURNED USED NAPPIES INTO ROAD MATERIAL
In 2022, Wales mixed fibres from 4.3 tonnes of used nappies into a highway; the waste replaced asphalt material imported from EuropeWales recently resurfaced part of the A487 highway using fibers from 4.3 tonnes of recycled diapers. Sanitized diaper waste was processed i...
In the year to September 2023, one Australian city used 6,790 litres of waste engine oil to build roads; it became a coating for stone used in road sealsIn the year leading up to September 2023, the City of Greater Geelong transformed thousands of litres of used motor oil into durable public...
In 1972, FHWA used 5 inches of scrubber waste in a parking-area base at Washington's Dulles Airport. 2 years later, wet weather caused the experimental base to soften and be replacedEarly tests explored scrubber waste for road bases and subbases. Florida projects between 1977 and 1989 showed highly satisfactory performa...
In 1977, Pennsylvania tested an 800-foot road base made with power-plant scrubber sludge; its strength rose from 720 to 1,014 PSI over seven yearsA Pennsylvania road base demonstration in 1977 used FGD scrubber material successfully. This material, combined with lime and ash, endured ...
Maine buried 20,000 old tires beneath a road and they helped against frost damage. Now engineers are exploring them for walls, highways and moreIn an innovative engineering experiment, shredded tires were utilized in road construction, effectively tackling both durability and tire w...
In 2021, Victoria used 2,100 tons of recycled road base to rebuild the Hume Freeway. 5 years later, its 850-metre stretch had turned waste into a longer-lasting road tooPlastic bags and glass bottles usually end up in the trash. In Australia, some became part of a highway instead. Engineers rebuilt an 850-m...
In 2024, Arizona engineers used 100% recycled glass to widen 23 miles of Interstate 17 at 19 sites, protecting concrete culverts built for a narrower highwayInstead of adding heavy soil and stone above aging concrete drainage structures, engineers used ultra-lightweight foam glass made from recy...
Nearly 300 tonnes of unwanted glass were headed for the landfill. Idaho used them to build a highway instead and solved a local landfill crisisEngineers have ingeniously repurposed discarded glass as a foundation material for highways, utilizing around 300 tonnes of crushed glass c...
Florida turned scrubber waste into road base in 12 projects by 1989; 100,000 tons earned highly satisfactory ratings, transforming an industrial byproduct into useful road baseFlorida utilized processed FGD scrubber material in twelve road-base projects between 1977 and 1989. This material demonstrated satisfactor...
In 2021, Shanghai used 6,000 milk bottles to fight plastic waste; the result became China's 1st plastic road, turning hard-to-recycle bottles into useful paving materialShanghai’s “Milk Bottle Road” demonstrates how difficult-to-recycle plastic can be redirected toward useful infrastructure. Developed throu...
In 1990, Waupaca Foundry supplied 20,000 tons of used sand for a Wisconsin highway pilot project. 12 years later, its next contract called for 80,000 tons for Highway 10A highway in Wisconsin became an unexpected test ground for recycled industrial sand. In 1990, Waupaca Foundry supplied about 20,000 tons o...
In 2023, Australia's Sydney put 120,000 glass jars and 200 tonnes of old asphalt on Clarence Street. 1 year later, its program recycled 670,000 glass jars into asphalt across the citySydney is using recycled materials in road renewal, giving glass jars and reclaimed asphalt a new purpose instead of sending them to landfi...
In 2024, Wales used 80,000 discarded diapers to build a road instead of sending 4 tons of waste to landfillCarmarthenshire County Council has collaborated with Nappicycle to conduct a groundbreaking road trial. Thousands of used diapers were skil...
In 2025, Nebraska put two million plastic bags into a 4,000-foot road; it became the state’s first recycled-plastic roadNebraska put the equivalent of two million plastic bags into a 4,000-foot road in 2025, creating the state’s first recycled-plastic road. T...
In 2019, Australia's Central Coast Council used 631,000 plastic bags, 117,000 bottles and 14,400 printer cartridges on a 600-metre road. 7 years later, the project remains a striking waste-to-road example across the regionCentral Coast Council is now using recycled soft plastic and glass in road surfacing. This innovative product, Reconophalt, diverts thousan...
Los Angeles recycled old street asphalt with microwaves instead of buying virgin paving material; over 800,000 tons were avoided over 5 years, saving approximately $8 millionLos Angeles has pioneered a groundbreaking method for recycling old asphalt pavement through microwave technology. This inventive technique...
Pennsylvania used 5,570 tons of shredded tires in the Tarrtown Bridge approaches; project estimated to save about $514,000Discarded tires are being creatively transformed into lightweight aggregate for use in road construction. This innovative method not only a...
In 2011, Colorado reused 134,000 tons of old asphalt in highway mixes; CDOT estimated the recycled material saved the state about $1.6 millionColorado's innovative approach to roadway construction has resulted in significant savings, repurposing old asphalt in new projects. By emb...
In 1980, New Jersey reused 14,000 tons of milled U.S. 1 asphalt for U.S. 130 shoulders, saving $50,346 and 12,753 tons of virgin stoneNew Jersey's engineering team successfully transformed milled road surfaces into functional highway shoulders, achieving significant saving...
A PhD student used shredded baby diapers in a prototype Indonesian house; 27% of its non-structural concrete blocks contained diaper waste, totaling about 3,700 poundsAn extraordinary house in Indonesia has creatively utilized nearly 3,700 pounds of discarded diapers. This unique construction method incor...