What’s the environmental impact of disposable nappies?Updated 2 years ago

The environmental cost of disposable nappies is enormous. According to the Victorian government, 3.75 million disposable nappies are used every day in Australia and New Zealand, with one cup of crude oil used to make each nappy and every single one taking 150+ years to break down in landfill. 

Between birth and the age of three, the average child will use around 6500 nappies, generating one tonne of plastic waste. In the US alone, approximately 27.4 billion disposable nappies are used every year – the equivalent of 3.4 million tonnes of waste heading to landfill. A UK study has found one year’s worth of nappy wearing by children in the UK contributes the same emissions as that produced by 98,600 cars driving for 12,000 miles each.