We don't want to bang on about how bad we think disposable nappies are, we want you to make up your own mind and make your own choices. However;

A disposable nappy contains paper pulp, plastics, absorbent gel granules and chemical additives. These are not subject to any Government regulation and the manufacturers are not obligated to LIST these ingredients on their packaging.

Each day over 8 MILLION disposable nappies are used in the UK making up over 4% of UK household waste. 94% of disposable nappies end up in landfill sites and it is estimated some parts of the nappy will take up to 500 years to biodegrade. Most landfill sites do not provide the right conditions for even 'biodegradable' plastic nappies to biodegrade. It's official - we're running out of landfill space and in some cases shipping our waste to other countries where children pick a living out of it.

When biodegrading, disposable nappies produce methane - a potent greenhouse gas, much more damaging than CO2. The other 6% of nappies thrown away are incinerated. Incinerating plastics may produce toxic airborne emissions.

1 disposable nappy uses 1 cup of non-renewable crude oil in it's manufacture. More fossil fuel is also used in the whole manufacturing process and other pollutants are released into our environment.

From birth to potty 4 trees will be felled for just one baby's supply of disposable nappies. To supply most of the nappy paper pulp used in the UK, ancient Canadian forests are being felled and diverse Scandinavian forests are being replaced with plantations of just 1 tree species and intensively managed with fertilisers and pesticides. These trees are felled before maturity leaving the planet unable to soak up our excess carbon dioxide - a greenhouse gas.

When washed in a AAA rated machine, cotton nappies are a 25% more environmentally friendly option (source UK Environment Agency 2005). Research in the Nederlands has shown that using a local laundry service is up to 15% more energy efficient than home washing.