New-born babies may be cute, but they don’t half-generate a lot of waste. As any new parents will know, it can often feel like the nappy changes will never end.
Babies may need 10 to 12 nappy changes a day in the early days, and the average baby will use around 5,000 nappies in the two and a half years before they are typically potty trained. That’s about 120kg of plastic, and a huge ecological footprint.
When disposable plastic nappies arrived in the 50s, parents quickly started turning their backs on traditional cloth ones. And I can see why – much as we might want to be eco-conscious, frankly, the prospect of switching from disposables to the kinds of reusable nappies available was not always particularly appealing. What – you wash it out? How? Erm, no thanks.
But hear me out. Thankfully, things have moved on. Reusable nappies have come a long way from the old school “square terry” type which required folding and pinning. The whole experience is much more user-friendly these days, both for parents and babies: the nappies are more comfortable, breathable, absorbent and leak-proof too. Some are crafted from organic or unbleached fibres, while others feature vibrant colours or stylish prints.
As such, when Covid struck and people went back to basics, reusable nappy use soared, putting them back on the map after years of neglect. At the same time, people are increasingly mindful of the environmental benefits of reusable nappies.
Yet, an estimated three billion nappies are still thrown away every year in the UK, according to the recycling charity Wrap. This accounts for two to three per cent of all household waste. As the typical lifespan of a reusable nappy is two to four years, or 400 to 500 washes, a baby will only use 20 to 30 reusables in their nappy-wearing years.
Their disposable-clad counterparts will use as many as 6,000. Though there are now innovative companies starting to turn soiled nappies into an alternative fuel source, as much of this plastic will go to landfill – and stay there for as long as 500 years.
Aside from clogging up landfills, the energy used to make them generates 550kg of CO2 over the same timeframe, according to the Environment Agency. Reusable nappies do contribute to climate change too though – they produce 570kg of carbon emissions over two and a half years, most of it relating to the energy used to wash and tumble-dry them.
Yet, much of disposable nappies’ contents will go to landfill as well, and can then leak into the water system. When reusable nappies are washed, on the other hand, that waste ends up being treated in a water treatment plant, in the same way adult waste is.
If the thought of a reusable nappy still feels grim, think instead of the money you’ll save. The total cost of disposable nappies a baby would get through before they graduate to the potty comes in at an average of around £1,000, if you’re using leading brand disposable nappies, according to the Government’s MoneyHelper website.
By contrast, reusable nappies will cost an average of £400 (including laundry costs) over that pre-potty period – saving around £600.
Using own-brand disposable nappies is cheaper than leading brands, costing a total of around £500 – but reusables still give a saving of £100.
You could get freebie hand-me-downs from friends and relatives, buy cheaper nappies (prices vary considerably, from as little as £3 to more than £30), go onto a cheaper energy tariff to save on washing bills, line-dry rather than tumble dry your nappies and sell your reusables after your child has outgrown them.
While cloth nappies might sound like a no-brainer considering the long list of benefits, I can understand if it still feels a touch unpleasant. This is where nappy libraries can help. Hundreds of these have sprung up across the UK in recent years, the biggest of which is the Nappy Network with about 150 branches.
They essentially provide reusable nappies for free or a low charge (typically from £5 to £25, sometimes with an additional refundable deposit) as well as advice so parents can test different kinds of nappies out for a few weeks in a safe space, with guidance, before deciding whether to continue on their own.
Check whether your local council runs a reusable nappy incentive scheme. These offer free starter kits or vouchers, making it cheaper to try them.
The Reusable Nappies & Wipes Project, run by community group Sustainable Starts in the Liverpool City Region, is helping 30 families trial reusable nappies. Anna Martin, who is running the scheme, told me that while reusables are not for everyone, most parents have gone on to use them some or all the time.
“Maybe one or two have done a complete switchover but most of them have gone on to use them part of the time,” tending to use reusable nappies at home and then disposable ones when they’re out, she says.
“We push people to do at least one change a day with a reusable nappy,” she says. “You don’t need to change over completely – even one a day adds up to 365 a year.”
Those parents who are particularly eco-conscious or in need of savings may opt for reusable nappies most or all of the time. But for most people, as with many things, the hybrid approach may be more realistic.
I can see why the hybrid approach may be more realistic. But that can still provide considerable benefit to your pocket, and the environment.
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