New diaper transforms poop and plastic into soil in less than a year

Hiro Technologies, a Texas-based startup, has developed MycoDigestible Diapers, an innovative sustainable diaper that uses fungi to transform baby poop and plastic components into nutrient-rich soil within nine months. Disposable diapers, which typically take around 500 years to decompose, contribute significantly to landfill waste and environmental pollution. The company’s approach leverages fungi’s natural ability to break down complex carbon materials, including plastics, by releasing enzymes that degrade the strong carbon bonds in petroleum-based diaper plastics. Each diaper includes a packet of fungi that activates upon exposure to moisture from the diaper’s contents and environment, initiating the biodegradation process. The diapers are made from unbleached cotton and softwood fluff pulp sourced from sustainably managed forests, ensuring they are gentle on babies’ skin and environmentally friendly. Lab tests demonstrated that within nine months, the treated diapers fully decomposed into black soil. Hiro Technologies currently sells diaper bundles online and plans to expand the fungi technology to other plastic-containing products such as adult incontinence and