India, Sept. 30 -- Every parent is familiar with the routine of removing a diaper from a baby, throwing it into the trash, and getting rid of it as soon as possible. Researchers at the University of Kitakyushu in Japan, however, explored whether used disposable diapers could instead become part of a house. Their study, Application of non-degradable waste as building material for low-cost housing, was published in Scientific Reports in May 2023. Siswanti Zuraida, Bart Dewancker, and Romi Bramantyo Margono examined how shredded diaper waste could replace some of the fine aggregate, or sand, used in concrete and mortar for low-cost housing in Indonesia.

The research focused on Indonesia, where the authors identified both a need for affordab...