Reusable nappies: the pros and cons
Is it really feasible for a busy mum to use reusable nappies? Or are reusable nappies only for environmentally aware mums, with oodles of time to spare? We bring you the lowdown on the case for and against using reusable nappies.
For:
- Eight million disposable nappies are thrown away in Britain every day. Disposable nappies contain paper pulp, plastics, absorbent gels and chemical additives. Some of these substances take hundreds of years to decompose.
- In households with one baby, disposable nappies make up 50 per cent of the weekly bin. Dealing with nappy waste costs individual local authorities hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.
- Your savings from using reusable nappies will add up to more than £500.
- The cost of using reusable nappies decreases with each subsequent child.
Against:
- You'll have to handle many dirty nappies every day.
- If you use terry nappies, you'll have to learn to fold them
- The environmental damage from washing and tumble drying nappies is high - although not as high as from using disposables.
- The initial outlay for reusables is comparatively high.
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