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The Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) have put together the following information on Nappies.
Cost
Home laundered nappies could save parents up to £500 on the cost of keeping a baby in nappies. (see calculations below) You can kit out your baby in real nappies on the high street for under £70. This includes all the nappies and waterproof covers you need for the whole of your baby's nappy wearing life (note 1). The same amount of money would only buy twelve weeks of disposables. 2Health
Disposable nappies are made of superabsorbent chemicals; paper pulp and plastics while real nappies are mostly made of natural fabrics. 3If you want the best solution, organic cotton and hemp nappies and organic wool waterproof overpants are available at reasonable cost. 4
Waste
Nearly 3 billion nappies are thrown away in the UK every year 5. The vast majority of these (90%) end up in landfill 6.We do not know how long it takes for the plastics in disposable nappies to decompose but it could take hundreds of years.
8 million nappies are thrown away every day in the UK 7.
In households with a baby, nappies make up about half the volume of the weekly bin 8. This gives families the opportunity to cut their waste in half by using cloth nappies 9.
With a nappy disposal cost to each local authority in hundreds of thousands of pounds per year (Bristol City, for example, spends £500,000 per year 10) it is not surprising that nappy schemes now play a key role in local authorities' waste strategies 11.
Landfill space is running out 12. Many local authorities are struggling to stop waste amounts increasing 13 and there is still pressure for more incinerators as the government tries to meet the Landfill Directive.
Incineration is not a trouble free solution 14 and emissions from incinerators cause controversy wherever they are sited.
Waste prevention at source is the most effective way of reducing our rubbish. The Cabinet Office Strategy Unit stresses the importance of promoting real nappies. 'Even modest initiatives to displace disposable nappy use with reusable nappies can have a significant waste minimisation impact.' 15
Environmental Impact
Footprinting is a method of assessing environmental impact by measuring it in terms of land use. It looks at the whole lifecycle of a product from its production, through its use to its disposal.Footprinting has been used to compare the environmental impacts of disposable and real nappies including all resource, water and energy use:
Conclusion: disposable nappies have nearly twice the impact of home laundered nappies and over two and a half times the impact of service washed nappies. So, by using a nappy laundry service, parents can choose convenience while doing their best for the environment.
Footnotes:
1 Boots own brand terry nappies x 20, plus 48 pants, plus 6 fasteners, total £59.90 www.boots.co.uk Jan 2003.
2 “Disposable Nappies and Baby Wipes” - Market Intelligence, April 2002. The average nappy price is calculated by dividing total value of nappies sold in 2001 (£370 million) by number of nappies sold in (2001 2,915 million) = 12.7p
Average use 6 nappies per day @ 12.7p = 76.2p/day = £5.33/week x 12 = £64
3 A Life-Cycle Inventory of Children's Disposable and Cloth Diapers Subject to Canadian Conditions, Vizcarra Feb 1993, pp 11-19
4 Schmidt Natural Clothing, organic nappy system available for £3.15 per week over nine months.
5 “Disposable Nappies and Baby Wipes” - Market Intelligence, April 2002, Market Segmentation figure 9
6 “Waste Not Want Not” - Cabinet Office Strategy Unit report November 2002
7 “Disposable Nappies and Baby Wipes” - Market Intelligence, April 2002, Market Segmentation figure 9 calculated as follows: 2,915 million/365 = 7,986,000 rounded to 8 million
8 LARAC
9 LARAC
10 The Recycling Consortium's Real Nappy Project Application Form for Real Nappy Week 2002 Award 'Celebrating Working Partnerships'
11 Over a third of UK local authorities supported Real Nappy Week 2002.
12 Rethinking rubbish in London, Highlights of the Mayor's Draft Municipal Waste Management Strategy, Sept 2002
13 Rethinking rubbish in London, Highlights of the Mayor's Draft Municipal Waste Management Strategy, Sept 2002
14 Zero Waste, Robin Murray, pp118-119
15 Waste Not Want Not, a strategy for tackling the waste problem in England, Strategy Unit Cabinet Office Nov 2002, p98
Real Nappy/Disposable Nappy Cost Comparison
Home laundered nappies could save parents over £500 on the cost of keeping a baby in nappiesAssumptions
In the absence of detailed independent research into the behaviours of nappy users, for consistency in figures, we have adhered to the assumption of an average of 6 nappy changes per day used in the Market Intelligence report, Disposable Nappies and Baby Wipes, April 2002.Average spend on disposable nappies: £700
Source: Disposable Nappies and Baby Wipes, Market Intelligence, April 2002, page 10 - PDI and Consumer Expenditure: Average cost per baby £700 over 2.5 years.Average price per nappy 12.7p
This equates to a cost of £5.40 per week
Real Nappies
Real nappies vary widely in their cost depending on style chosen.You can buy all the nappies, waterproof covers and fastenings required from £60.
Source: Boots
20 x terry nappies at £9.50 for a pack of 5 = £38.00Boots Baby Pants at £2.60 for a pack of 6 = £20.80
Pack of six nappy pins = £1.10
Total cost = £59.90
Source: Mothercare
24 x terry nappies @ £9.99 for pack of 6 = £39.96Mothercare waterproof pants @ £2.60 pack of 6 = £20.80
Pack of 12 nappy pins =£1.99
Total cost £62.75
Washing Machine
The average life span of a washing machine is 9 years.Source: Tim Cooper, Sheffield Hallam University 28th Jan 2003
Depreciation at £25.50 over 2.5 years. This is derived from information from GFK Average price of a washing machine over 12 months to November 2002 - £296, If washer dryers are included the average over 12 months to November 2002 is £305.70.
Therefore:
Depreciation based on 30% use of a machine over 2.5 years, where the machine has a life expectancy of nine years£306 x 2.5/9 = £85
Depreciation = 30% of £85 = £25.5
Washing Powder
Average cost 20p per wash.Source: UK Cleaning Products Industry Association,
Average number of washes for real nappy use is 2.8 per week over 130 weeks or 364 washes.
364 x 20p = 72.8 = £73 pounds over 2.5 years
Electricity
Weekly wash for a family of four people uses 8-9kWhsSource: - Guide to Running Costs, Electricity and You, published by the Electricity Association, 20 Millbank, London SW1P 4RD This assumes that:
9lb/4kg cottons with pre-wash washed at 90°C for 2 units
4lb/1.8kg synthetics washed at 50°C for under 1 unit
A load of washing at 60°C uses approximately half that of a load washed at 90°C
Source: Preventing Nappy Waste, Ann Link 1994, p12, Local Energy
The Real Nappy Association recommends a 60°C wash as sufficient. Even nappy laundries are required to wash at only 71°C. The National Energy Foundation estimates that reducing the temperature from 90°C to 60°C halves the energy consumption for a machine wash.
Therefore a 4kg load of nappies washed at 60°C uses approximately 1 unit of energy. If a family has an average of 20 nappies and uses an average of six per day they need to be laundered every 2.5-3 days, creating a load of washing every 2.5 to 3 days using a maximum of 2.8 units of energy per week assuming a wash every 2.5 days. This also assumes that no nappies are laundered with the family's other laundry which happens quite frequently in reality.
A 60°C wash uses less than one unit of electricity.
Electricity
Jan 2002 average price of electricity is 7.52p/kWhA 'unit' is a kWh
Source: International Electricity Prices 2002, published by Electricity Association. 2.8 x 130 weeks x 7.52p = £27.37 rounded to £27
Overall laundry costs
Washing machine depreciation + detergent + energy£25.50 + £73 + £27 = £125.50 over 2.5 years
which equates to £50 per year. Overall cost of home laundered nappies over 2.5 years
Real nappy cost + laundry costs
£60 + £125.50 = £185.50
Real/Disposable Cost Comparison
Home laundered nappies could save you over £500 (£515) on the cost of keeping a baby in nappiesCost of disposable nappies - overall cost of home laundered nappies
£700 - £185.50 = £514.50 rounded to £515