Ecobaby and Nappy Disposal   (back to environmental policy) 

In Ireland, disposable nappies are usually sent to landfill. That's a real waste.

The woodpulp in the Eco Nappy is biodegradable, as is the plastic outer, some of
the superabsorbent, and also whatever the baby adds during use.

Ecobaby Limited has been at the forefront of efforts to show that this product is
in fact compostable. Composting the Eco Nappy is simple and practical, whether
on a domestic or on a municipal scale.

The residue of the nappy is small, and easily converted to use as a growing
medium in horticulture. In this way the nappy can be shown to be much
more 'carbon-neutral' than ordinary nappies sent to landfill. 

You may find sites that suggest that the nappy is not biodegradable. These
sites may well refer to whether or not the nappy can be put into municipal
collection bins for 'brown waste' that is taken for treatment.

In some areas of Europe, particularly Germany, nappies are considered
a desirable input in the waste stream for incinerators. We in Ireland do
not believe that incineration is an appropriate response, and we would
prefer to keep nappies out of incinerators. By composting the Eco Nappy
we can solve so many problems, without creating others.

As we believe that the compostability of the product is a satisfactory goal
we don't agonise over the term 'biodegradable', and don't see why anyone
else should.

(April 2007)
We are currently involved in a number of tests that will confirm once and
for all that The Eco Nappy is ideal for composting in properly-managed
composting systems. Full details on this, including photographs, and
laboratory results will be posted here as they become available.

Suffice it to say that the results have been truly impressive,
only 3 weeks into the composting process. With temperatures as high
as 70 degrees centigrade held for up to a week, pathogens are not
likely to be present in the compost. The volume of nappy residue left after
this short period is very small indeed.

The full 'maturing' process for the compost will be completed within
about six weeks, so "watch this space"!