A nappy right for you

There are a lot of things to love about babies. Changing their nappies isn’t one of them. If the inevitable leaks and the occasional ‘poonami’ (rhymes with tsunami) weren’t enough, mums are also bombarded with messages about nappies and their impact on the environment.

There’s no getting around the fact that disposable nappies create a lot of waste. But looking closely at the impact of the other nappy options shows the situation isn’t cut and dried.

Modern cloth nappies

Cloth nappies are making a comeback. But a study by the UK’s Environment Agency found – surprisingly – reusable cloth nappies have a bigger impact on global warming than disposables, thanks to the energy used washing and drying them. That was in the UK though, which isn’t as good as New Zealand at generating power sustainably. And the study also found you can tip the balance back by washing in cold water with full loads, line-drying when possible and using the same nappies on your next child.

Cost: $1500 for nappies and laundry costs over 2.5 years, dropping to $500 for a subsequent child in the same nappies.

Pros: Minimise waste to landfill, save money, can recoup some costs by on-selling later.

Cons: More laundry, more water use, greater initial cost, more contact with poo, more frequent changes needed, inners can develop an unpleasant ammonia odour over time.

Tip: Hire a cloth nappy kit containing a selection of the many styles now available, so you can discover what best fits your baby before you buy (see www.thenappynetwork.org.nz/hirekits.php).

Disposable nappies

About 300 million dirty nappies go to New Zealand landfills every year, where they break down very slowly and release the powerful greenhouse gas methane. And constantly making nappies uses a lot of resources – in the UK study this accounted for more CO₂ than their disposal.

Cost: $3000 per child for 2.5 years of nappies.

Pros: Convenient, fewer leaks, highly absorbent, keep baby’s bits dryer, fit under clothing easily.

Cons: Expensive over time, can double your household’s waste output.

Biodegradable disposables

Some disposable nappies are marketed as biodegradable, but the truth isn’t that simple – in modern landfills these still decompose very slowly. To be broken down properly these eco nappies should be composted at home – and you can expect 50 per cent of the nappy to remain after three months, which you’ll need to dispose of with your general rubbish. ‘Number two’ nappies must also go to landfill, since you shouldn’t compost faecal matter.

Cost: $3500 per child for 2.5 years.

Pros: Made from more eco-friendly materials than other disposables; convenient.

Cons: Most expensive option, not truly biodegradable, fewer sizes available so leaks more likely when baby is between sizes.

Compost service for disposables

New Zealand is home to the world’s first disposable nappy composting service. Residents of Christchurch and Wellington can have their soiled disposable nappies (and sanitary and incontinence products) collected by the EnviroComp service for a per-bag fee. They’re then composted at high temperatures to create non-toxic compost for commercial use. Genius!

Cost: $400 per child for 2.5 years.

Pros: Eliminates disposables’ biggest problem.

Cons: Adds another expense to disposable nappies, only available in two centres so far.

Every bit counts

I always thought I’d be a 100 per cent cloth-nappy-using mum, but that just didn’t work for me. My kid’s a prolific poo-er, and I’m a disorganised housekeeper who procrastinates with the laundry. So I aim to use two cloth nappies a day, and although I don’t always achieve it, I figure I prevent about 500 nappies per year from going to landfill, saving our household about $600 over the period our boy’s in nappies. It’s not perfect, but it’s sustainable for me – and that’s what really matters.