Nappies, health & the environment
Australia Post, Beechworth & sustainable development?
June 14, 2006Diana Ferrari founder to speak at MCEI Event
June 14, 2006Up-to-date info on the cotton nappies vs disposables debate
An extensive Royal Women’s Hospital (RWH) online article offers parents and health workers accurate and current information about nappies in order to enable decision making based on fact rather than marketing or outdated research.
For a guide to online resources or for questions or comments you can contact the Women’s Health Information Centre on 9344-2007 or email whic@rwh.org.au
RWH on myths about nappies
- There is no significant difference in the rates of nappy rash between babies wearing disposables and babies wearing cloth nappies. The most important factor to avoid nappy rash is changing nappies promptly when soiled.
- The environmental impact of disposables is much higher than for cloth even when the energy and water waste of washing and drying cloth is taken into account.
- The new varieties of reusable nappies and even a good traditional flat nappy system can be user friendly.
- Even if you only use cloth nappies some of the time you are still reducing waste.
RWH on new products & services
- There is now a recycling service for disposable nappies. Visit www.myplanet.com.au.
- If folding nappies, pins and placcy pants is all too much look at new reusable nappy systems. There is a range of brands and designs in fitted, shaped nappies. Start at investigating at www.natureschild.com.au.
- Choose environmentally dispoable products such as compostable/biodegradable nappies – a disposable pad in a wearable pouch. Once soiled the pad can be either flushed, or if only wet, added to a compost heap. Visit www.eenee.co. Enee Eco Nappies are an Australian product internationally recognised at the 21st International Exhibition for Innovations at Geneva.
- You can also get biodegradable wipes, nappy liners and nappy bags.
A health note from the UK’s Monmouthshire Greenweb
- Disposable nappies are made of superabsorbent chemicals, paper pulp and plastics while real nappies are mostly made of natural fabrics. We do not as yet know whether there are any health risks from prolonged contact with the superabsorbent gels used in disposables.
It seems Canada, Australia and the United States use more cotton nappies than the UK where usage is relatively small but increasing. The UK Women’s Environmental Network estimates that 15% of all parents now use washable nappies.
There is environmental concern worldwide over the billions of disposable nappies taking up to 500 years to rot in landfill sites. This concern is so great that huge compagnies like Kimberley-Clark are mounting defensive arguments on their websites claiming disposable nappies make up only 1% of landfill.
NB In 2005 Greenpeace mounted a campaign against Kimberley-Clark for logging ancient boreal forests. Greenpeace maintains they need 3.0 million tonnes of pulp from forests to produce their tissue products and that they buy from clear felling operations in Ontario and Alberta, Canada, home to threatened wildlife such as woodland caribou and wolverines. This claim is disputed by Kimberley-Clark.
Other sites to check:
and the Choice calculator
1 Comment
I’m Charndra,
Having a strong concern for the environmental impact of our nappy choices, our family practices EC with our bubs. My newborn, Jett, is three months old and has spent today mostly nappy-free. And I am dry! His poo went into the loo…
To help parents re-gain this largely lost skill with their babies, I’ve created the “Part Time Nappy Free” website to reassure visitors about what EC is actually like, when most media portrayals say “No nappies are allowed” and that one must do it full time – this is not true at all.
So, I’ve created a new resource for parents doing elimination communication (EC). Featuring a unique way to learn about EC as a free member, and an online course called “Part Time Nappy Free!”
After all, the most environmentally friendly nappy is the one you never use…
Part time nappy free! is dedicated to helping you reduce your nappy use as you gently, naturally and gradually practice Elimination Communication with your baby, and discover the joys of doing so!
Join for free to receive the unique introduction to this ancient art, “The 7 Secrets to Developing Your Nappy Free Confidence.” You’ll learn how you can do part time elimination communication.
I offer an online course in EC (very environmentally friendly!) guiding you to confidence as you learn with your baby how to reduce your reliance on nappies from 100% down to whatever suits your family…
I’d like to invite you to visit my launch page:
http://www.parttimenappyfree.com.au/now-open.htm
Perhaps you’d be interested in the page called Global Warming and EC.
http://www.parttimenappyfree.com.au/global-warming-EC.htm.
It’s about using one less nappy a day by developing your confidence in being part-time ‘nappy free’ as a way of reducing the impact of nappy use on the environment.
Thankyou,
Charndra Josling
P.S The site will be officially’ launching next Saturday. It’s great fun to skip a nappy here, a nappy there – especially the pooey ones – and babies love it too!