Maidstone Trials Old Clothes as Pothole Filler at Mote Park and Penenden Heath

Old clothes are being used to fix potholes in two of Maidstone's parks, in a trial by Maidstone Borough Council and sustainable materials company RECOOL.

Two potholes at Mote Park and three at Penenden Heath have been repaired using an experimental low-carbon product developed by RECOOL and installed with contractor Loughman, which uses recycled textile waste to fill most of the pothole under a specialist surfacing layer. The trial is on council-owned land only - Mote Park, Penenden Heath and other parks and car parks are the council's responsibility, unlike public roads, which are maintained by Kent County Council.

The UK generates around 1.45 million tonnes of used textiles a year, according to the charity WRAP, with nearly half of it ending up in general waste rather than reuse or recycling. Cllr Rachel Rodwell, Cabinet Member for Climate Transition and Nature Recovery, said: "Fast fashion means huge amounts of textiles are still being thrown away every year... this pilot is about turning that problem into an opportunity." The repairs will be monitored over the coming months to see how they hold up under normal park use and British weather, with any wider rollout depending on the results. Source: Maidstone Borough Council