Disposable diaper waste has been an issue since the first product rolled off the production line more than 50 years ago. Today, representing one of the most challenging waste streams for municipalities worldwide, estimates suggest that more than 300,000 disposable diapers are discarded every day in the U.S. alone and 20–30 billion diapers are sent to landfills or incineration facilities annually. In Europe, diapers and adult incontinence products account for an estimated 2–4% of total municipal solid waste, and global volumes continue to rise due to aging populations, urbanization and increasing adoption of disposable hygiene products.

Because diapers are composed of multiple materials—including plastics, superabsorbent polymers and cellulose pulp—and are contaminated after use—they have historically been excluded from conventional recycling systems. As a result, most used diapers are incinerated or landfilled, generating greenhouse gas emissions and placing long-term pressure on waste infrastructure. However, in recent years, diaper manufacturers, their suppliers and even waste management specialists are accelerating efforts to develop scalable recycling and recovery solutions for absorbent hygiene products.

One of the key challenges facing diaper recycling efforts is the fact they remain among the most difficult consumer products to recycle. While pilot programs and emerging technologies demonstrate technical feasibility, several structural barriers continue to limit large-scale adoption. These include sanitary and regulatory constraints, product design and material complexity, collection and logistical challenges, economic viability, limited markets for recovered materials and consumer acceptance and behavior.

Because used diapers are classified as sanitary waste due to the presence of human waste, they are subject to stricter handling, transportation and processing requirements compared to conventional recyclables. Any recycling process must include robust sterilization steps to address health and safety concerns, increasing operational complexity and cost. 

Additionally, modern disposable diapers are engineered for performance, not end-of-life recovery. A single diaper combines multiple tightly bonded materials including plastic films, nonwoven fabrics, cellulose fibers, superabsorbent polymers, elastics and adhesives. Efficiently separating these components at scale requires specialized mechanical and chemical processes that are capital-intensive and energy-demanding. Even where recycling technology is available, the economics remain challenging. Processing costs are high due to washing, sterilization and material separation, while the recovered materials typically command lower market prices than virgin alternatives. However, companies are making inroads in how to streamline separating and recycling processes to make diaper recycling easier and more cost efficient.

Traditionally, except for some exception, recovered diaper components are generally unsuitable for reuse in hygiene products due to regulatory and safety constraints which has made finding a home for repurposed raw materials challenging. This reportedly was the challenge that hurt Procter & Gamble’s ambitious diaper recycling efforts which began in Italy—through its joint venture company Fater—about 10 years ago. After expanding its pilot program into The Netherlands and announcing plans to roll out the initiative to 10 countries, P&G has more recently shifted its focus away from diaper recycling, citing high operational complexity, immense costs and logistical failures in collecting soiled products. Pilot programs, such as one in Amsterdam, showed that consumers struggled with the inconvenience of storing and transporting dirty diapers to specialized, “smart” collection bins. Instead, P&G is focusing on offering more sustainable products in its diaper brands, thus improving their lifecycle analysis.

Meanwhile, some diaper manufacturers continue to persevere, working on improving diaper collection and recycling efforts. 

Unicharm Advances Low-Water Diaper Recycling

In December, Unicharm Corporation announced the development of a new recycling technology, the Dry Washing Method, under its RefF (Recycle for the Future) initiative. According to the company, the technology significantly reduces water consumption during diaper recycling, potentially enabling adoption in regions with limited water infrastructure.

The Dry Washing Method reduces water usage during the washing process to approximately one-fiftieth of that required by Unicharm’s conventional recycling methods. Historically, diaper recycling has required large volumes of water, limiting feasibility in water-scarce regions. By applying principles similar to drycleaning, the new process uses reusable solvents along with proprietary sterilization and bleaching technologies to achieve hygienic treatment while dramatically conserving water. The result, Unicharm says, is the ability to convert used disposable diapers into reusable raw materials on a global scale.

The technology represents the latest step in Unicharm’s long-running RefF project, launched in 2010 to enable horizontal recycling of disposable diapers. In 2019, the company achieved a first by producing recycled pulp equivalent in quality to virgin pulp using ozone treatment. Since then, Unicharm has expanded recycling technologies for plastics and superabsorbent polymers and incorporated these materials into commercial products.

Through ozone-based sterilization, Unicharm has demonstrated the production of hygienic, high-quality recycled pulp. Following pilot-scale use of the pulp in hygiene products, the company partnered with Havix, a producer of airlaid and thermal-bonded nonwovens and absorbent core materials, to manufacture absorbent materials containing recycled pulp.

As of November 2025, Unicharm reports that 6.32 million diapers have been recycled through its programs. Products using repurposed materials include RefF (Leaf) Lifree Stretchable Fit Thin and Lightweight tape diapers, RefF Mamy Poko Pants and Deo-Sand cat litter, all launched in spring 2025. The company has also been producing recycled adult diapers since 2022.

Beyond hygiene products, recycled diaper materials have been incorporated into toilet paper sold under the Poppy Paper brand. In a public-private initiative in Shibushi and Osaki, Japan, 98 metric tons of used hygiene products were collected and processed. The treated materials were sent to Poppy Paper’s Fukuyo plant and blended with recycled paper to produce 30,000 rolls of toilet paper over a two-month period.

Unicharm plans to continue developing the Dry Washing Method through 2028, with construction of a full-scale recycling plant scheduled to begin that year. Commercial operations and expanded collection across neighboring municipalities are planned for 2029.

Kao Explores Carbonization as a Recycling Pathway

Kao Corporation is pursuing a different approach, focusing on carbonization technology to convert used disposable diapers into semi-carbonized material. The company has been conducting research since 2021 and will begin verification testing in Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.

The testing will evaluate a system that processes used diapers into carbon-rich semi-carbonized material using low-temperature thermal decomposition technology developed by Kao. The process removes moisture, sterilizes and deodorizes the waste, and significantly reduces volume—allowing treatment at the point of generation.

Kao reports that the first carbonization device, installed at a childcare facility in Saijo in 2021, reduced diaper waste volume by 95% and produced material with a high calorific value suitable as an alternative to fossil fuels. Because diapers are typically incinerated, the company views this approach as a way to both address waste management and reduce CO2 emissions.

A second, more energy-efficient device capable of processing 50 kilograms per batch—up from 30 kilograms—will be installed at the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center. Verification testing will assess usability for residents, including older individuals, as well as explore local applications for the semi-carbonized material as fuel or soil amendment. Kao and the town of Kamikatsu have entered into a comprehensive agreement to conduct the testing.

Woosh Expands Circular Model in Belgium

Belgium-based circular diaper company Woosh has expanded its recycling model to private households following adoption in childcare centers. In 2025, the company partnered with healthcare logistics provider Dynahealth to manage fulfillment, delivery and collection of used diapers.

Diapers ordered online before 5 p.m. are delivered next day, with couriers collecting used products for recycling. Orders over €30 qualify for free delivery and collection. Dynahealth also manages inventory and order preparation for the Woosh web shop.

Since launching in 2024, Woosh diapers have been adopted by more than 1500 childcare centers in Belgium. Through its recycling hub, the company processes approximately 2000 metric tons of diaper waste annually.

Woosh’s proprietary diaper, launched in May 2024 and developed with Ontex, is designed specifically for recyclability and incorporates recycled materials. The product avoids components that could interfere with recycling or reduce the value of recovered plastics.

“Our goal is to ensure the diaper is recycled, not landfilled or incinerated,” says CTO Alby Roseveare. “The give-back diaper is designed to fit within our ecosystem.”

Woosh’s recycling and R&D facility is located at the IVBO inter-municipal waste organization site in Bruges, where thousands of diapers are processed daily. According to the company, its recycling activities prevent approximately 2000 tons of diapers from entering landfills or incinerators each year.

Ontex executives note that optimizing diaper design for recycling—rather than compostability—allows for incremental improvements in circularity. “With recycling, you can focus on individual components, starting with plastics, which have the greatest impact on CO2 footprint,” says Bart Jansen, lead product developer, sustainability.

Australian Company Turns Diapers into Cat Litter

Kelland Environmental Technology Pty Ltd—which trades publicly as DiaperRecycle—is a Melbourne, Australia-based company that has successfully recycled diapers and repurposed the materials into cat litter. For these efforts, the company received the RISE Innovation Award from INDA in 2022. 

The company’s recycling process began with semi-weekly collection from households and care facilities in the broader Melbourne area via a subscription service. Once collected, the waste undergoes a specialized separation process. Plastic components are extracted and sent to recyclers, while cellulose fibers and polymers are processed into a lightweight, superabsorbent cat litter product. This recycled cat litter not only repurposes material that would otherwise go to waste, but it also results in significantly lower carbon emissions compared with landfill disposal — in some analyses showing an 80%+ reduction in carbon footprint. 

More recently,  Kelland has partnered with the Greater Shepparton City Council in Victoria to process disposable nappy and continence care waste collected from residents. The service has enrolled hundreds of households and care centers, diverting roughly 1500 kg of waste per week from landfill and contributing positively to local 2030 waste diversion targets. Kelland hopes to expand these serves both across Australia and overseas.

Pura Reaches Recycling Milestone in the U.K.

U.K.-based eco-friendly diaper brand Pura reports it has recycled 200,000 diapers at a Bristol recycling center operated by NappiCycle, its recycling partner since 2020. Pura baby care was created by parents Guy and Abi Fennell who have made it their mission is to provide parents with wipes and nappies that put babies and the planet first.

A world leader in diaper recycling, NappiCycle now recycles 40 million diapers per year.

NappiCycle and Pura conducted their first trial in 2022, diverting 31,500 diapers from landfill. That same year, retailer Asda repurposed recycled diaper materials into in-store signage across 320 locations. Additional applications have included road surfacing materials.

Pura and NappiCycle now operate bi-weekly collections from daycares and households. Founded in 2020, Pura entered the U.S. market via Walmart in 2023 and extended its partnership with NappiCycle for five years in 2023.

BASF, Essity and TU Wien Demonstrate Gasification Potential

BASF and Essity, in collaboration with the Technical University of Vienna, have demonstrated a pilot gasification process capable of converting used diapers and other absorbent hygiene products into chemical feedstocks.

The process uses high-temperature gasification—above 600°C—to sanitize waste and convert it into a gas mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The resulting syngas can be used as feedstock for chemical production, keeping carbon in the loop without complex pre-treatment.

According to the partners, the technology offers a scalable solution for managing a significant municipal waste stream while supporting circularity in both chemical and hygiene value chains.

“Our customers can rely on BASF as a trusted partner for innovative recycling solutions,” says Oliver Cullmann, vice president, global marketing and strategy, C3 Value Chain. “We have demonstrated the potential of recycling post-consumer absorbent hygiene products and are committed to advancing sustainable solutions together with our customers.