Which is cheaper/more ecologically sound - disposable or washable nappies

asks tonyb:
A. Disposable nappies are convenient, quick and easy to use, and they are used by most mothers now. However, updated versions of the old Terry nappies are becoming more and more popular with parents concerned about environmental issues.

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Q. What's the argument against disposables
A. In the UK, we use eight million disposable nappies each day - that's three billion dumped in landfill sites every year. The nappies take between 200 and 500 years to decompose.

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Q. How does that compare, ecologically, with the energy used in washing nappies
A. According to the Women's Environmental Network (WEN), producing disposables uses 3.5 times more energy, 8.3 times more non-renewable sources and 90 times more renewable sources than real nappies.

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The Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacturers' Association (AHPMA), which represents disposable nappy makers, disagrees, saying that environmental arguments are finely balanced. It states that used disposable nappies are mostly disposed of in landfill sites, whereas washable nappies use 'considerable quantities of electricity, water, detergents and sanitising chemicals'.

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Q. How do the costs to parents compare
A. As a rough guide, disposable nappies cost about �8.50 a week (by the age of two and a half, your child will have got through 5,000 disposable nappies).

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However, if you buy a cheap set of washable nappies and wash them yourself, it could cost as little as �2.50 a week.

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In some areas of the country, there are nappy washing schemes where a company drops off clean nappies at your door, collects the soiled ones and washes them to clinical standards. This costs about �8 a week. Schemes like this are running in Cambridge, Westminster, Leicestershire, Essex and Milton Keynes.

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Q. Even if somebody else washed them, who could be bothered with all that folding and pins
A. Hey, this is the 21st century - we don't do that any more! Modern washable nappies consist of a waterproof cover with a Velcro fastening, a pinless cotton nappy (which may or may not need folded), and a disposable liner. Even dads can cope with it.

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Q. Where can I find out more
A. You can read about the campaign to promote the use of real nappies on the Women's Environmental Network website.

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By Sheena Miller