Maidstone Borough Council, in partnership with sustainable materials company RECOOL, has launched a pilot at Mote Park and Penenden Heath to repair potholes in parks using materials made from recycled textile waste. The pilot is being conducted on council-owned land and does not involve public roads maintained by Kent County Council.

Key Points

  • The two pilot locations are Mote Park (2 repairs) and Penenden Heath (3 repairs), repairing a total of 5 potholes.
  • The material used was developed by RECOOL and is an experimental low-carbon product: most potholes are filled with recycled textile waste, with a specialized surface layer applied on top.
  • After repairs are completed, monitoring will continue for several months to assess performance under daily park use and weather conditions.

As the body responsible for maintaining parks, open spaces, and car parks within its jurisdiction, Maidstone Borough Council hopes this pilot will verify whether this material can be a durable and more sustainable alternative to traditional repair methods. The council stated that reusing textile waste in repair materials aims to steer infrastructure maintenance toward a more circular and sustainable path.

Councillor Rachel Rodwell, Cabinet Member for Climate Transition and Nature Recovery, said that second-hand trading platforms have helped extend the lifespan of many garments, but fast fashion means large quantities of textiles are still discarded every year; this pilot is precisely about trying to turn that problem into an opportunity. She noted that testing whether discarded textiles can be reused as part of pothole repair materials is exploring a practical solution that reduces waste, lowers carbon emissions, and supports the circular economy.

The industry significance of this project lies in adding another infrastructure construction scenario for the high-value utilization of textile waste, offering a potential outlet for old clothing recycling as an alternative to landfill and incineration. However, its feasibility still depends on the durability performance of the material under real-world conditions in subsequent monitoring.

Source: Maidstone trialling pothole repair material made from recycled textile waste · Originally published 2026-09-29