Disposing of nappies- ecologically acceptable way?

usignuolo

Our son and his wife are coming over from the States shortly (where they live) with our new granddaughter for a couple of weeks.

We are looking forward to seeing them but, this may sound daft, how do you dispose of nappies nowadays, in an ecologically acceptable way? Our house is a Victorian one, and although it has modern plumbing, the drains locally are a nightmare, no one knows where they run and there is always someone having to get them pumped out. So flushing nappies away, whatever it says on the packet, is a no no.

How does it work, do you just put them in a bag in the dustbin?

lilibet1

i dont think that anyone flushes nappies down the toilet, do they??

I would put them in the black bin?? Thats what I did many years ago.

Igottawii!!

There is no ecological way with disposables!
You must never ever try to flush them, they should be thrown out with the household waste (landfill bin)

emsywoo123

Wow I have never heard of nappy flushing!

Black bin, all the way

Alikay

Yes, in the bin. Sticking them in an already on-the-go bin liner rather than individually bagging them would save a bit of plastic.

Frankly, if they're flying over from the states, the carbon footprint from the journey will eclipse any environmental effects from a fortnight's disposable nappy use!

Nicki

I assume parents use disosables and know how to dispose of them already?

To reduce carbon footprint as much as possible:

Use Eco nappies not regular disposables. These biodegrade a bit more quickly though still not as good as washables

Tip any solid waste into toilet before disposing of nappy

Consider using washable wipes rather than disposable wipes. A few cheap flannels should do the trick.

Only wrap soiled nappies in an outer bag before putting them in the outdoor bin. Wet ones can just be folded into themselves and put in bin direct.

Taadaa

Nothing but toilet paper should be flushed. It's okay to empty the contents. Do you know whether your general waste bin goes to landfill or whether it is incinerated with energy recovery? if you aren't sure your local LA should be able to tell you. With the later option it's as good as it's going to get for disposing of such nappies.

hardpressed

I have never understood why it is acceptable to put the contents of a soiled nappy in the dust bin. When we all used washable nappies the contents were flushed away, why can't that be done with disposables? Couldn't they be made with a flushable liner? That would be much more hygenic.

Lotus-eater

hardpressed wrote: »

I have never understood why it is acceptable to put the contents of a soiled nappy in the dust bin. When we all used washable nappies the contents were flushed away, why can't that be done with disposables? Couldn't they be made with a flushable liner? That would be much more hygenic.

I don't think you are supposed to put the poo in a nappy in the bin, but I don't see why not, it's only going to landfill.

Probably the best biodegradable thing in a black bin.

And although companies would tell you otherwise, there is no such thing as a flushable liner. Trust me, I know that one

GracieP

hardpressed wrote: »

I have never understood why it is acceptable to put the contents of a soiled nappy in the dust bin.

It's not at all acceptable and in many regions there are bye-laws making it illegal. People keep doing it though and it's utterly rancid.

Lotus-eater, it;s actually a huge problem as faecal matter should never, ever be sent to landfill as there are over 100 intestinal viruses present in faeces and when sent to landfill, rather than properly treated, can contaminate the groundwater, which can be a much, much worse environmental problem than the actual nappy in landfill.
http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/98charac.pdf

emsywoo123

So we are meant to scrape baby poo out of nappies? Or have I missed an alternative?