Disposable nappies are an item on many of our weekly shopping lists. The modern day parent leads a busy lifestyle and in most cases, turn to disposable nappies without giving a thought to the impact on our environment.
Disposable nappies are a relatively new invention and until the 1970”s there was no real alternative to classic cloth nappy. Today however, most families chose to use disposable nappies rather than traditional cloth ones. In our busy lives, convenience is the key, and washing cloth nappies is a time consuming process.
It may surprise you to know, that over the first two to three years of our children’s lives they will go through approximately 5000 disposable nappies, each! That equates to 3 billion disposable nappies being thrown away each year in the UK and an astounding 90% of those nappies end up in landfill.
The disposable nappy typically consists of a soft, shaped, absorbent pad that retains moisture, this is covered with a permeable liner that sits next to the baby’s skin and an impermeable bottom layer that helps prevent leakage. These materials are then enclosed in a waterproof casing. The materials used are needed to make the nappy comfortable for a baby to wear and effective in holding its contents!
Huge Impact on the environment
Due to the materials used in disposable nappies some guess it can take up to 500 years for them to totally degrade. In addition to this, the contents of the nappy produces methane, a greenhouse gas that has twice the environmental impact as Co2. 38% of UK methane emissions are down to landfill and with disposable nappies accounting for 3-4% of all household waste, it is obvious they have a significant impact.
Environmentally Friendly Nappy Disposal Services
Flush Hygiene (part of the So Clean group) are conscientious in how waste is handled, ensuring recycling options are used wherever possible and limiting the impact on landfill. This in turn helps to reduce carbon emissions. We are proud to be one of very few companies who are able to reduce the impact on landfill by up to 95% when it comes to nappy waste. This is made possible through our strategic partnership with Knowaste, the UK’s only recycling plant for nappies. Because of our pro active attitude Flush Hygiene can help you, as a business, do your bit for the environment too.
Recycle Nappy Waste
Knowaste has been recycling absorbent hygiene products in the UK since 2011. They aim to help businesses and local authorities divert waste from landfill to help meet recycling targets. 100% of absorbent hygiene products can be recycled, with the remaining solids and liquids being sent to sewer or water treatment facilities. Then the fibres and plastics are ready to be recycled into useful products.