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There has been much debate over the environmental impact of disposable nappies compared with their cloth counterparts. Cloth, indeed, is the greener option when it comes to nappies.

The cloth nappies of today are not the ones that great-grandma used years ago. They are now highly absorbent, comfortable, even cute. Forget about the nappy pins and rubber pants; cloth nappies of today include easy-to-use buttons and Velcro closures.

But the ease of use for a nappy change is not the only plus with regard to cloth nappies. The average child will go through several thousand nappies in his life. Millions of tons of disposable nappies of used disposable nappies fill landfills in the United Kingdom every year.

The vast majority of these nappies are not environmentally friendly, taking nearly 600 years to biodegrade – and biodegradability depends on air and light, things that are not typically available to products in landfills. The human waste inside of the nappy is also a hazard to the environment. When cloth nappies are laundered, the waste is sent to the municipal sanitary waste system to be treated, but the human waste in landfills is a breeding ground for diseases that could potentially contaminate our groundwater.

Disposable nappies require more resources to produce and manufacture than cloth nappies, and that’s including the amount of water used in cotton farming as well as the water used to launder the reusable nappies. Cloth nappies are even more green when they are line dried, washed in full loads and reused on other children.

Disposable nappies also tend to contain some seedy ingredients. Dyes, sodium polyacrylate for absorption and dioxin, a bleach, are a handful of the ingredients that will be against the most sensitive part of baby, nearly 24 hours a day. These substances have been inked to allergic reactions toxic shock syndrome, chemical burns, kidney and liver damage, rashes, headaches, dizziness and more. Sodium polyacrylate has been shown to foster an environment perfect for the growth of dangerous, toxin-producing bacteria. Babies have even pulled these disposable nappies apart and choked on the small plastic pieces.