I bought a load of cotton nappies as I was worried about the potential environmental impact of sending so many disposable nappies to landfill. Even though we were using organic, biodegradable nappies, they don’t necessarily get the chance to degrade properly in most landfill sites. I’m sure there’s loads of stuff I do that has an equally large negative effect on the environment and it’s probably a bit hypocritical being so up my arse about nappies (vague pun intended), but it does kind of smack you in the face when you’re dealing with so many each day.
Anyway, it seems you have to be pretty careful with the way you use the non-disposable types to ensure you really are being greener. There’s been a fair bit of research…
cloth nappies, terry nappy, prefolds