Eco Nappies vs Disposable Nappies: Which is better?

Did you know that we throw away almost 10 million nappies EVERY DAY in the UK?

3.6 billion every year.

If you’re pregnant for the first time and considering which nappies to use on your baby, you may well be thinking of using eco-friendly disposable nappies. 

But how do they stack up against traditional single use nappies such as Pampers or Huggies?

Here at Team Cheeky we’ve been all about reusables since 2008. That's when we launched our reusable wipes kit which makes it easy for parents to use reusable wipes, even if they use disposable nappies.  

Although we do our own range of reusable nappies, we understand that many parents can’t quite bring themselves to use them, for reasons such as upfront cost, convenience, lack of drying facilities or poo fear.

We get it.  It seems overwhelming.

When your first baby is due, it’s enough to get your head around the fact that the lump in your belly is going to be an actual live human being at some point. That you are going to have to feed and look after and clean and get to sleep.  Hopefully!

Here's our guide to everything you need to know about disposable vs eco nappies:

What are the benefits of eco nappies?

How long do biodegradable / eco nappies take to decompose?

What are eco nappies made from?

Are Pampers biodegradable?

How long does it take Pampers nappies to biodegrade?

Are there any 100% biodegradable nappies?

Which nappies are most biodegradable?

Can disposable nappies be recycled?

Which eco nappies are best for the environment?

Which eco nappies get best reviews?

What are the benefits of eco nappies?

The benefits of eco nappies are that they are designed to be more environmentally friendly than traditional disposable nappies.  They use less chemicals and have a lower carbon footprint in production than standard disposables.

Eco by Naty stated recently that they “all use 100% plant-based top and back sheets, chlorine-free sustainably certified pulp, and recyclable or compostable packaging.

Using renewable sources and practising greener manufacture and operations,these brands have a lower carbon and chemical input than normal oil-based plastic versions.”

What this means is that there are less chemicals used in their production processes.

Which is great.

However ALL disposable nappies create the same amount of waste.  According to a recent Which Consumer report, we should take any claims about biodegrading / composting with a huge pinch of salt. We'll explain why...

How long do biodegradable / eco nappies take to decompose?

Due to a lack of oxygen, “biodegradable” or “compostable” or "eco" nappies won’t generally biodegrade in landfill any quicker than regular single-use nappies. Especially if they're inside a plastic bin bag which most people use for their rubbish. If you'd prefer not to use bin bags, why not use one of our reusable bin liners instead?

It takes biodegradable / eco nappies around 500 years to decompose and biodegrade slowly in landfill.

No matter which type of nappy, if you don’t flush the poo from it (as it states on the outside of the packet of all disposable nappies) they will also release methane as they biodegrade.

To compost nappies would require industrial facilities that the UK simply doesn’t have.

All disposable nappies create waste which is their largest environmental impact, no matter whether they are made from biodegradable material or not.

What are eco nappies made from?

Eco nappies are generally made from plant based plastics and wood pulp or bamboo bamboo viscose inners, liners and chlorine free pulp. This makes them more eco friendly to produce than traditional disposable nappies.

Are Pampers biodegradable?

No, Pampers aren't biodegradable. But actually as we have explained above being biodegradable doesn't make much difference if you're sending your nappies to landfill. All nappies will take around 500 years to biodegrade in landfill due to the lack of oxygen.

How long does it take Pampers nappies to biodegrade?

It takes Pampers nappies around 500 years to biodegrade, the same as any other sort of nappy, including eco disposables.

Are there any 100% biodegradable nappies?

No, there aren't any 100% biodegradable nappies. All disposable nappies contain at least 20% plastic. In eco-disposables this plastic tends to be plant based rather than oil based plastic, but it is still plastic.

These “natural” or “plant-based” plastics need a lot of land to grow, which impacts on biodiversity loss and climate change.  

Which nappies are most biodegradable?

No disposable nappies are really biodegradable in landfill conditions. Especially not added to the rubbish inside a large binbag which is how most household waste goes into bins.

If you're worried about waste, you should definitely consider reusable nappies as an alternative.

Can disposable nappies be recycled?

No, disposable nappies can't be easily recycled at the moment. There has been a trial scheme running for some time in Wales and Bristol to recycle nappies, however both traditional and eco-disposable nappies are technically extremely difficult to recycle in the quantities produced daily in the UK.

Neither the scheme in Wales, nor the two counterparts in Europe are able to recycle the plastic components of the nappies. 

Which eco nappies are best for the environment?

The eco nappies which are best for the environment are:

• Eco by Naty
• Kit & Kin
• Mama Bamboo

which provide detailed ingredient lists for their nappies. Eco by Naty & Kit & Kin also use FSC certified wood pulp in their nappy cores. Mama Bamboo use 100% FSC certified bamboo.

Which eco nappies get best reviews?

These eco nappies get best reviews on Trustpilot are:

Eco by Naty

Kit&Kin

MyPura

Eco by Naty 

Eco by Naty were founded in 1994 and are now part of the worldwide 'Humble' group with a Trustpilot score of 3.8.

However, a recent Trustpilot reply was heavy on the greenwashing front ‘The most noticeable changes are the added wetness indicator and the closure tape and the wetness indicator which was added so you'll be able to know immediately if your little one needs changing. The plastic is, of course, compostable.’

But it isn’t really compostable when it goes to landfill.

Eco by Naty are priced at 40 for £12, or 30p each from Boots.

Kit & Kin Eco Disposable Nappies

Kit & Kin were founded by Emma Bunton & Christopher Money in 2015 and they have a Trustpilot score of 4.6. Parents love the cute designs and the ease of using their subscription service. ‘Quick easy subscription services with reminders to check if you need to pause or change sizes on things’. When bought on the subscription service, they offers 112 size 5 nappies for £32 every 4 weeks, or 28.5p each.

MyPura

MyPura have the best Trustpilot score at 4.8 and were launched in 2019. Again, parents love the ease of use of the subscription service. £34 gets 125 size 5 nappies every 4 weeks on subscription, so 27.2p per nappy.

We hope you enjoyed this article and it has educated you and maybe entertained you about eco nappies.

Remember, if you decide you'd like to use reusable wipes alongside your eco-disposable nappies or cloth diapers, our reusable wipes bundles offer great value for money, containing 25 bottom wipes and 25 wipes for hands & faces too, plus wet bags and essential oil soaking solutions.

"I have seen people rave about cheeky wipes and now I get why. The product is great and the set up has clearly been designed by someone who wants to make life easy for tired parents.

I was nervous about making the change especially with twins but it was so simple. We are happy to be helping the environment and saving money at the same time!" Via Trustpilot

If you'd like to dip your toes into cloth nappies, you should definitely check out our Cheeky Doodoo nappies. Reusable nappies will save you money (around £300 from birth to potty training) and help avoid diaper rashes too. Plus we have a 100% Happiness Guarantee, so if you don't like them, we'll refund you!

You may also enjoy these articles:

Reusable Nappies & Nappy Rash: Your Questions Answered

Facts vs Fiction: Top 10 Reusable Nappy Myths Busted

About the author: Helen Rankin is a Mum of 4, who founded Cheeky Wipes, the original reusable wipes kit back in 2008 after disposable wipes caused her eczema to flare up. She went on to develop their range of 'Simple Reusables' to include period pants, reusable sanitary pads and finally reusable nappies which are available as two part nappies or new pocket nappies. The Cheeky customer services team just LOVE to chat pee, poo and periods all day long! The Company is award winning, being recognised for their hard work with the Queens Award in Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2021.