For years, disposable diapers, sanitary pads, and other absorbent hygiene products were considered impossible to recycle. Each item is a complex mix of plastic, cellulose, and absorbent polymers that made separation too costly and inefficient. The result was millions of tons of waste every year, almost all of it destined for landfills or incinerators. Today, however, a breakthrough in Italy is rewriting that story.

A new facility has been built specifically to recycle this type of waste on an industrial scale, the first of its kind in the world. Its purpose is simple but revolutionary: to transform used diapers and other absorbent products into valuable raw materials that can be reintroduced into the economy.