Cloth Nappies and the environment

[JadeyB]

Hi ladies,

I'm wondering if you can help.

A couple of friends and family are supportive of my desire to use cloth, but most of the time I get met with - "oh yeah that will last all of about 5 mins when you get fed up with the washing".

and the other favourite one is

Have you thought about the effect on the environment of all the extra washing you will be doing?

I guess what I want to know the answer is the environmental one?? I can imagine that the extra washing will have some effect on the environment but I didn't think for one second that this could compare with the amount of disposables going to the tip. Has anyone got any interesting facts or links that they would be willing to share?

I don't really feel I need to justify myself for wanting to use cloth, but I've just stopped telling people that is what I will be doing. Having said that, if I do get on well with cloth I will be singing the benefits from the rooftops!!! I just don't want those smug people telling me "I told you so" if I don't get on with them.

Thanks ladies
xxx

 

[littlestar]

all this extra washing...is less than twice a week i go a good 3-4 days between washes. hardly alot of effort if you ask me.

i think the key is really to have about 3 days worth of nappies two days in the washer and one days worth ready to wear.

I got a few 'let's see how long it lasts' looks when i was pregnant looking at cloth nappies. TBH i love them, interesting dealing with poos sometimes esp as we're starting to wean, but all in all they're much nicer to handle than sposies!

 

[Lisa1302]

Well a few years back there was an official report which said that the effects on the environment after washing etc was taken into consideration was almost the same - this is the report that most people remember!

However since then the same government body has reported again and said actually washable nappies do create much less impact on the environment!

It also makes a HUGE difference how the nappies are dried - the tumble drier obviously making things not as rosy

this maybe explains better than me:

https://blog.cleangreennappy.co.uk/?p=24

 

[anothersquish]

It worth noting that the old comparison looked at washing at 60 or 90 degrees every time (I cant remember which) a full load of detergent and tumble drying. Now if you dont tumble dry, use soapnuts or 1/4 amount of detergent, wash at 30 or 40.....well thats a lot less energy being used.
TBH if the effects on the environment DO work out exactly the same for cloth and disposables then you STILL have to look at the landfill factor. It works out that in his 15 weeks of life Theo would have used over 800 nappies already that would take 400+ years to break down in landfill. It is this part of the environmental impact that resonates the most for me. My cloth nappies can be reused by several children before they are no further use and cloth breaks down MUCH quicker than the disposables and release less chemicals.
I think the reuse factor is forgotten as well, many of my nappies are preloved and I sell them all on to others to use, most reusable nappies will be used for AT LEAST two children, some many more. It would be entirely possible to buy only a preloved stash and then sell them on to someone else after use....that means absolutely zero environmental impact through manufacture for that person!

I could go on about this for hours...but Ill stop now

 

[JadeyB]

all this extra washing...is less than twice a week i go a good 3-4 days between washes. hardly alot of effort if you ask me.

i think the key is really to have about 3 days worth of nappies two days in the washer and one days worth ready to wear.

I got a few 'let's see how long it lasts' looks when i was pregnant looking at cloth nappies. TBH i love them, interesting dealing with poos sometimes esp as we're starting to wean, but all in all they're much nicer to handle than sposies!

Thanks ladies - I knew you would have some info for me. Their comments just want to make it work even more!!

Littlestar - how many nappies do you have for that little washing?

My hubby's biggest concern is that our little one will look swamped in his nappies, so for him to agree to it, we have to go for slim fittings and sized nappies. I'm looking forward to when he fits into BTP and I will have my permanent stash that I can build on. We are just starting with about 10 to start with so will have to use some disposables as well but so long as we don't have any problems we will build on our stash later.

Hopefully for future babies too!!!

xx

 

[littlestar]

i have over 35 nappies. but i typically wash 20-24 at a time so he uses between 6-8 nappies a day.

a newborn you can expect 10-12 nappies a day so if you had a stash equal to mine with a newborn you'd wash every couple of days.

as for the report - it's a load of tosh, they even factored ironing nappies into the 'carbon footprint' - who on this earth irons the nappies!
even my mil didn't iron traditional terries!!

 

[JadeyB]

i have over 35 nappies. but i typically wash 20-24 at a time so he uses between 6-8 nappies a day.

a newborn you can expect 10-12 nappies a day so if you had a stash equal to mine with a newborn you'd wash every couple of days.

as for the report - it's a load of tosh, they even factored ironing nappies into the 'carbon footprint' - who on this earth irons the nappies!
even my mil didn't iron traditional terries!!

OMG - I can't believe they factored in ironing!! I don't iron the things I should like hubby's shirts - x

 

[Lisa1302]

i have over 35 nappies. but i typically wash 20-24 at a time so he uses between 6-8 nappies a day.

a newborn you can expect 10-12 nappies a day so if you had a stash equal to mine with a newborn you'd wash every couple of days.

as for the report - it's a load of tosh, they even factored ironing nappies into the 'carbon footprint' - who on this earth irons the nappies!
even my mil didn't iron traditional terries!!

OMG - I can't believe they factored in ironing!! I don't iron the things I should like hubby's shirts - x

No they don't include ironing now.
The original 2005 report suggested 9.5% of users DID iron - however the 2008 report worked with zero ironing!

 

[littlestar]

i must have both crosswired then!!

even so they lack the decency to say cloth is better as they don't take 400+ years to decompose! or use up valuable land resources even if cloth nappies did end up in land fill they'd decompose quicker!

 

[Lisa1302]

i must have both crosswired then!!

even so they lack the decency to say cloth is better as they don't take 400+ years to decompose! or use up valuable land resources even if cloth nappies did end up in land fill they'd decompose quicker!

The report suggests that the landfill issue is not the main concern - apparently the manufacture of disposable nappies is where the huge impact on the environment comes from

You can read it here if you like - I am sure this is the latest report that Defra did , its the updated 2006/7 version https://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=WR0705_7589_FRP.pdf

 

[Lacrosse]

I don't think they took into account how much environmental damage the production of disposables does either! I believe they go through about 300 processes before they get to the baby's bottom. Which is probably about the same number of times you would wash a washable in the time your baby's wearing nappies! And manufacturing washables doesn't take anything like 300 processes!

 

[Lisa1302]

I don't think they took into account how much environmental damage the production of disposables does either! I believe they go through about 300 processes before they get to the baby's bottom. Which is probably about the same number of times you would wash a washable in the time your baby's wearing nappies! And manufacturing washables doesn't take anything like 300 processes!

Yes they did!

After all the research they compare the carbon dioxide footprint - which in disposables comes from the manufacture, and in washables from the laundering!

Maybe read the report?

 

[tinkerbellkir]

I agree with the others even if the effect on the environment through the extra washing is the same i still think there are many other issues to be considered that make cloth a better option.

One of the main being that they are far cheaper for me Sposies would cost me a fortune, but with cloth most of my nappies are pre-loved and will gfo onto others after me therefor actually costing me not much at all.

I wash my nappies after rinsing them with all my other clothes so for me it doesnt really create much 'extra' washing at all as my washing machine is often on with 4 peoples clothes to wash anyway!!

xx

 

[Bayleaf]

I think it's also worth bearing in mind that through buying reusables you support SAHMs/small businesses rather than Procter&Gamble.
Also instead of rushing out to buy disposables I sit with Em at the kitchen table folding nappies. Much more pleasant

 

[trumpetbum]

There are a lot of other issues for me other than environmental because at the end of the day something has to go on the babies bottom. I do try to keep my carbon footprint low where possible but it's definitely not my sole reason for using them. So when people bring this up I simply tell them that for me it is: Easier on the pocket, I never run out and have to rush out to buy them ( I am a bit of a dozy mare sometimes, this happens to me ), I know exactly what is going on babies botty, I am supporting a smaller business rather than Proctor and Gamble etc, I know that they aren't decomposing somewhere for the next god knows how long on a landfill site and that they have an important factor that disposables don't have for me..the cuteness factor.

 

[JadeyB]

I think it's also worth bearing in mind that through buying reusables you support SAHMs/small businesses rather than Procter&Gamble.
Also instead of rushing out to buy disposables I sit with Em at the kitchen table folding nappies. Much more pleasant

Great points!

What kind of nappy does your little one have on in your avatar. It looks super slim?

x

 

[JadeyB]

Hey ladies - thanks for all of your replies, I've found the reasons that you use cloth really insightful.

I mentioned to a friend today that I was going to be using reusables and she said "ah that will be good for his hip alignment". I had worried that his little legs might not be comfortable but I now I feel comforted that it may even be better for him.

She said that when babies have hip problems they often tell them to double up on nappies. Another plus for cloth!!

xx

 

[Bayleaf]

JadeyB:
I think he was probably wearing an itty, they are very slim.
And yes traditionally you would have had a wider crotch in the fold of your terry to help sort out clicky hips.
The main reason though is that by using cloth you turn a chore into something that is actually fun

 

[littlestar]

The main reason though is that by using cloth you turn a chore into something that is actually fun

i have to agree with this too, as freaky as it might sound (to non cloth users) it makes change time interesting....which nappy next? flip...moonbeam or ribbit, bg organic....butternut.etc.

 

[buttonnose82]

in regards to environmental factors it isn't just the washing etc you need to consider for the finished product but there is a HUGE difference in the environmental factors in the production of sposies & cloth nappies

* Many disposable nappies are non bio-degradable, as a result this means they can sit in our landfill sites for hundreds of years. Some companies have now started to produce eco disposable nappies which can range from 50-80% bio-degradable.

*During the production of disposable nappies, they use more than twice the amount of water that is used for washing cloth nappies.

* more that 3.5 times the amount of energy is used production disposable nappies than cloth nappies

* Approx 734kg is the amount of solid waste that goes into our landfills for each child (based on the use of 6 disposable nappies a day until the age of 2.5 years)

* The production of disposable nappies uses on average, over 8 times the amount of non renewable raw materials and around 90 times the amount of renewable materials (weight for weight) compared to cloth nappies