Nappies - where are all the environmentalists!

Hawthorn

I wonder if our council does a similar scheme?

What do you make of that FreddyKruggar?

For councils to outlay cash on getting people to use reusables, there must be something to give them incentive? They don't, after all, contribute to people using disposables

Cardew

Hawthorn,
Agree with everything you say!

So on a cost basis it would appear that you believe reusable nappies could actually cost more than disposable nappies at one extreme, to a saving of, say, £400 at the other extreme.

An average figure might be ?? £200 ??

Hawthorn

Oh absolutely!

There are some BEAUTIFUL nappies out there, and the consumerist in me goes 'yeah yeah yeah' LOL.
But then, when you consider that the nappy is more often than not, hidden under a wrap, then it really isn't worth it. A flat terry will do the job just as well, is easier to clean and dry, and is more versatile in it's sizing.

For example, you can get a dozen basic terries for £12. Two dozen of those should see you through. 3 dozen if you're feeling extravagant, so call it forty quid. Then you have the wraps. Three of each size should do it, as you don't need to change the wrap every time you change the nappy. Call that £80. Cut an old towel up and hem it into wipe sized pieces - free.
A meter of fleece for liners is a couple of quid, and these should see you through.

So, including nappies, wraps, nappi nippas, wipes and liners, you can do it for in the region of £130.

Then, you have the other end of the scale. The most expensive nappy I have seen was £18 (???). Say you need fifteen of each size, that's 30 nappies. £540 in nappies. Then the £80 for the wraps. £620. disposable liners.....around £2 per 100. Then disposable wipes. £1.50 per 100, if you get cheapy ones (I would imagine - haven't bought any in a long time). If you get the more expensive ones, I think they're more around the region of £3.50 per pack.

There are VAST differences in those price scales. I myself would be more inclined to go with the first option LOL.

arnie&caseysma!

Just joined this thread. My sister has had two children and used re-useables on both children. She had an initial outlay of £400 including the nappies, outer liners, and she used disposables liners. Between the two kids she already has she reckons she has saved somewhere in the £1000s and that's including the washing (and hanging out to dry). They have also been handed round three different people for their babies and she is in the process of gathering them back in for number 3 on the way.
Cost effective? I would say so!

Mum_of_3_3

I use Moltex disposables for my 2 year-old http://www.naturebotts.co.uk/shop/nappies/moltex_oko_disposables/info.htm

Ok so Moltex aren't a MSE item as they are considerably more expensive than say Tesco's own nappies, but for me they are a good compromise between being using something like Huggies and reusables.

I know I should use reuseables, but we can't all be perfect can we and the wee nappies go into our wormery where they compost down so I really can't see the big deal about it!

Ok so they get bought over from Germany, but my Ecover washing products come over from Holland, does that make Ecover more environmentally unfriendly than say Bold (which I belive is made here in the UK)????

Also we don't own a tumble dryer so all of our clothes are dried either outside or (if it's cold enough and the heating is on) over the radiators. If it's raining & warm our washing just has to wait until I am able to dry it.

So does the fact that we tumble dry nothing, but use biodegradable disposables mean that we are more environmentaly unfriendly than a family who tumble dries their babies reusables, but also all their clothes no matter what the weather????

Who's more green - My family or those (like my afrementioned friends) that have reusables for during the day but Pampers for night time/nursery/days out?

Also I have exclusively breastfeed my children for the first 6 months of their lives, so how do I compare on the "green-ometer" to a Mum who has (for whatever reason) bottle fed her babies but used reuseables??

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that my family are very, very green in most things, but reuseables just aren't an option for me as I have absolutely no way of drying them during the winter months (it takes all my time just doing our clothes as I have to keep turning them on the rads as our heating only ever goes up as far as 20C) and we can't afford to buy reuseables for sunny weather only.

So before everyone jumps down each other necks please remember that we all lead different lives and we all have different reasons for not using specific green alternatives.

M_o_3

EDIT: I use Co-Op wipes as well as they are bio-degradeable, would be interested to know what everyone else uses to see if there are greener alternatives (I am not using cotton wool & water by the way as when my 2 year old does a poo - she means it and I would be using rolls & rolls per change!!)

Floxxie

Hawthorn wrote: »

I wonder if our council does a similar scheme?

What do you make of that FreddyKruggar?

For councils to outlay cash on getting people to use reusables, there must be something to give them incentive? They don't, after all, contribute to people using disposables

Check your council website - so many do now - it is £30 per child. The cash is coming from the Waste Management Team - I guess they are sick of the smell as well as the waste!

Floxxie

Hawthorn

You think like me Mum_of_3. There ARE no hard and fast rules, and it's each to their own - totally.
Having this discussion with my DH when we first got together. He said, which is the most ethical choice......fair trade coffee, or the normal nescafe stuff. So I piped up, fair trade, of course.
His reply? If everyone thought like that and bought the fair trade, those who are working for peanuts wouldn't even be able to work for that, because the company would go out of business. He had a point LOL.
All we can do, is what we feel is right at the time.

Hawthorn

Aye floxxie, as well as trying to cut down on the sheer amount of stuff that ends up in landfill.
My brain is a bit fuzzy tonight, but aren't there targets for reducing the amount of stuff that gets into landfill by a certain year (EU regulations?) and if these aren't met, fines will be in place?
I may be wrong about that, I just seem to remember something......

Mum_of_3_3

Hi Hawthorn,

Yeah it does seem as if we think alike apart from Nescafe is the one company my family & I actively boycott (even my kids know not to buy anything with the nasty label on). Here's why: http://www.babymilkaction.org/resources/boycott/nestlefree.html

I do agree with you though that at first things seem black & white quite often they are very grey once you have scratched the surface.

M_o_3

Floxxie

Cardew wrote: »

Hawthorn,
Agree with everything you say!

So on a cost basis it would appear that you believe reusable nappies could actually cost more than disposable nappies at one extreme, to a saving of, say, £400 at the other extreme.

An average figure might be ?? £200 ??

I'm the consumerist! Yes I got rid of Huggies and Pampers but I still spent £190 for 20 nappies (incl. discount) on the fantastic B*m G*nius that look like a disposable.(I just had terrible memories of terries nappies with no justifications at all because the plastic pants are not like the plastic pants in my day but yes it can be done really cheap especially second hand)

My nappy spend before my purchase was £60 per month. These nappies last until the child is 3ish, so the figures speak for themselves. If I more e-f, then I would probably go for biodegradable disposables but I'm not, mainly down to cost - ironic really.