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It's true to say that when you become a parent you become much more conscious of how the world is changing and what it's future may be . Indeed you probably feel at least partly responsible for leaving our planet in good shape for the next generation - and that means going green. The popular image of an eco-friendly or "green person" used to be a scruffy-looking,tree-hugging hippy, but today's eco-aware individual is just as likely to be a well-educated professional.

Nappies - all babies need them and it's hard to think of anything that makes a parent feel more guilty than choosing to use disposable nappies. Research shows that even though parents may be enthusiastic composters and passionate about recycling their domestic waste, they are probably using disposables. Depite the best intentions, many use disposable nappies because they feel it's easier in the early days, intend to change, but never get around to it and then at 18 months, potty-training looms and it's just too late.

Conflicting information about the relative merits of reusables and disposables, which can often be confusing and contradictory doesn't help parents commit to using the most eco-friendly option - they may not be certain what that is. What is certain however is that huge numbers of nappies are used each year, a significant proportion of which end up in landfill. Researchers claim that there is very little difference in the environmental impact of disposables and reusables. This might have made disposable users a little more at ease with their consciences, but this government report sparked fierce criticism from supporters of "real" nappies.

It was revealed in this report that many of the washable nappy users in the survey were tumble drying their nappies and an amazing nine percent were even ironing them, which was, to say the least, not supporting their "green" lifestyle. However, on balance, the evidence is still in favor of reusable nappies, but only if they're washed at a low temperature, line dried and not ironed.

It's important not to make a decision like this out of guilt however. For some families, particularly with working parents, or with more than one young child, using washable nappies will make life with a newborn or young baby more stressful - which means that disposables are the best option.

But all is not lost. In addition to the huge range of standard disposable nappies available, the availability of "eco-disposables," nappies has increased enormously. These nappies are manufactured without the use of toxic chemicals and intensively grown paper pulp. They are also designed to degrade faster than standard disposables. The problem here is that although they performed well in trials, the researchers were investigating compostibility and so were unable to assess whether the conditions in a landfill site would be right for them to bio-degrade at the same speed.

Indeed, some manufacturers claim their nappies can be home-composted, bio-degrading in 8 to 12 weeks. Parents would need to take into account the size of the composting area and hygiene considerations if they decide to take this route. It could however, be regarded as the ultimate "green" option - just think of the satisfaction gained by turning all those smelly nappies into nutritious compost in 3 months - and the wonderful effect it could have on your garden!

Article Published: Tuesday 9th October 2007