Choose real nappies and reduce your household rubbish by almost 50%

Did you know that over 3 billion disposable nappies are used annually in the UK alone? That equates to around 8 million nappies per day. Merseyside throws away around 60 million nappies per year…… 90% of these will end up in a landfill somewhere near you. Research has proved that they can take between 200 - 500 years to decompose.

The used disposable nappy buried in landfill, contains untreated human sewage which carries more than 100 enteric viruses including those that can cause hepatitis and polio.

Incineration of the disposable nappy can also be a danger to the environment. As this creates toxic substances which are emitted into the air.

Every year more than 7 million trees are felled in order to manufacture the disposable nappies required to satisfy the UK market. That's 4.5 trees per child. It also takes one cup of crude oil to produce the plastic for just one disposable nappy.

A study by Best Foot Forward, an independent organisation who specialise in ecological foot printing, concluded that disposables have 1.8 times the environmental impact of home laundered nappies, and 2.6 times the impact of nappies laundered via a laundry service. www.bestfootforward.com

Overall, disposable nappies use 3.5 times more energy, 8 times more non-renewable raw materials, 90 times more renewable materials than washable cotton nappies. www.bestfootforward.com

Disposable nappies produce 2.3 times more waste water (at the production stage) and 60 times more solid waste than washable nappies. www.bestfootforward.com

Disposable nappies require between 4 and 30 times more land for growing natural materials than washable nappies. www.bestfootforward.com

Both systems do however, use similar amounts of fossil fuels. www.bestfootforward.com

In a household with just one baby, nappies can take up to half of the volume of your wheelie bin, and with new legislation planned it won't be long before you are charged for the weight of the disposables in your bin.

We at Happy Bums use 100% real cotton nappies, reusable, healthy and environmentally friendly. Our nappies and service don't cost the earth, so go on give us a try!