Hello all

Hope this is the right place for the topic even though it's not about 'real' nappies 

I bought some what I thought were biodegradable nappies a couple of days ago (nature baby) which sadly aren't  :( and to boot have bought Sammy out in a rash all over his legs!

Can anyone recommend a disposable that is biodegradable or even better, compostable?  Does such a thing exist?????   ???

Thankx,

Becky
xx

Moltex are compostable - see pics here (Menu down left side - "who's been eating my eco-nappy)

http://www.ecobaby.ie/ecobaby_home_01.htm

I supose it depends how big your compost heap is! They do work well though.  I used them at the start with DS (5 weeks early - v surprised no chance to organise real nappies!) He wore huggies  for a couple of days in the hospital :-\ but he just went red from them and my husband's aunt recommended moltex.  They're unbleached and the packaging is biodegradable but they do have a bit of gel in them (not as much as typical disposables tho.) Bambo are also eco-friendly, unbleached etc and Tushies are gel free. Hope this helps a bit…

L xo

Has anyone actually tried to compost Moltex? - my understanding is that you need an industrial sized compost heap if you are going to be using a lot (i.e. using them regularly as opposed to occasionally going away or whatever). Moltex also get a negative rating in the latest Good Shopping Guide though it doesn't give a lot of detail . I mostly use cloth but used to use Moltex occasionally but am now using Nature Baby as my occasinoall back up which get a good GSG rating - but obviously no good for Sammy - May has had no adverse reaction. Tushies claim to be the greenest because they are gel-free, but they are made in the US so there are air miles to consider. There isn't a biodegradeable nappy on the market as far as I can see and there seems to be nowhere that compares like with like so that you can work out which is the greenest - I and other people have raised this on here before and nobody seems to have an answer- GP we would really appreciate a properly researched article on this!

Do all disposable have gel in them now?  We are off camping in a few weeks and obviously it will be impossible to take my cloth nappies with us.  Which would people recommend for the week?  Sorry a bit OT Becky but I guess it's similar….

[quote author=Maysmum link=topic=1889.msg20520#msg20520 date=1215024600]
Has anyone actually tried to compost Moltex?

[url=http://www.ecobaby.ie/ecobaby_home_01.htm]
http://www.ecobaby.ie/ecobaby_home_01.htm[/url]

See reports on this site- look down the left column and click on Nappy Disposal: Composting of Eco Nappies

[quote author=LesleyA link=topic=1889.msg20537#msg20537 date=1215027690]
Do all disposable have gel in them now?  We are off camping in a few weeks and obviously it will be impossible to take my cloth nappies with us.  Which would people recommend for the week?  Sorry a bit OT Becky but I guess it's similar….

Tushies are the only ones that don't. I find Nature baby absolutely fine and they are cheap.

[quote author=moggy link=topic=1889.msg20539#msg20539 date=1215028267]
[quote author=Maysmum link=topic=1889.msg20520#msg20520 date=1215024600]
Has anyone actually tried to compost Moltex?

[url=http://www.ecobaby.ie/ecobaby_home_01.htm]
http://www.ecobaby.ie/ecobaby_home_01.htm[/url]

See reports on this site- look down the left column and click on Nappy Disposal: Composting of Eco Nappies

mm that makes it sounds easy - but I am really struggling with my wormery and there is no way on earth it could cope with nappies. And anyway, I use disposables when we are travelling so by definition not anywhere near my wormery! As this site says you need a much bigger wormery to do nappies than a normal size one and it takes several months for them to be eaten up so I can imagine quite a lot of problems doind it on a domestic scale - which is why I wondered if anyone had actually done it.

We're all linking to the same site…this seems to be the only place that actually shows moltex being composted!  It would definitely be a good article for the green parent - maybe try composting them all side by side to see which ones are faster/more biodegradable etc? 
There is now a 100% biodegradable nappy in Australia but obviously airmiles would be huge which I suppose could lead to a new topic….

Would you use a 100 % biodegradable nappy if you knew it had been flown from halfway round the world or would you choose a not so biodegradable nappy that's from closer to home?

Just popping in to say

Radio 4 had a disscussion about the composting of nappies a while ago. They do need to go into an industrail composter, they need to reach a certain heat before they can start to break down. Most home composters are way to cold to start this process off and to keep the temp high enough to keep the process ongoing.

I tried to find a link to the disscussion but couldn't. sorry.

Lorna  

[quote author=LesleyA link=topic=1889.msg20537#msg20537 date=1215027690]
Do all disposable have gel in them now?  We are off camping in a few weeks and obviously it will be impossible to take my cloth nappies with us.  Which would people recommend for the week?  Sorry a bit OT Becky but I guess it's similar….

I camp alot most weeks and will be away most of the school holidays and i do take my washables always. Its easy. Got for it.

Weenees is the only truly 100% biodegradable compostable nappy system. This is probably the Australian brand that is referred to. The UK distributor is Lollipop (http://www.teamlollipop.co.uk) and they actually don't fly them over; they come by boat to reduce air miles.
They consist of a biodegradable pad and washable waterproof wrap. The pads can be composted in your home compost/wormery, although generally I'd recommend only compost wet ones if you are going to use the end compost to grow food. You can flush the soiled ones down the toilet - just rip in half and swish around a bit! The waterproof covers can also be used with a washable pad if you wish.
The weenees pads break down in 150 days,  whereas Moltex are a lot longer. Somewhere there are some photos illustrating this, you might find them if you hunt on the internet.
HTH
Vicky

Hello

I have been reading all the posts on this site for some time now trying to get a better understanding of the types of nappies that would suit us.  I am trying to do things differently now that baby 2 is nearly here from the first time when everything was one big haze.  I have been sent various moltex and bambo disposable samples from companies such Naturebots http://www.naturebotts.co.uk/shop/nappies/index.htm  and Spirit of Nature http://www.spiritofnature.co.uk/acatalog/biodegradablenappies.html.  Both of them also do cloth/reusable nappies with Spirit of Nature doing the Weenees that is mentioned in an earlier message that do seem a good idea especially for a boy.

My reason for looking at these companies is that they are close to where I live in the New Forest so I can source them easily with out too much travelling.  But the main reason for all my searching is the composting bit.  We really want to do our bit to help after using more disposables that I really wanted to with our first child due to working and child care.  I am really thankful for all your postings of places to look and things to read about and things that we had not even thought about like the time scale for composting and the temperature.  It makes your head spin.

I am hopeing that if I keep looking and reading lots of posts I will get more ideas and finally reach a conclusion before our son is a month old.:-\

every hopeful

Annie

Hi- our moltex experiment is almost over- we have a big compost heap which produces (though I say so myself) pretty good compost- I put about 20 moltex nappies into it 1 1/5 years ago (ripping them in half first to give them a chance)allong with our normal composting stuff- well, I fill a compost heap over a year and then cover it and leave it alone for 6-9 months before digging it into the veg patch, I uncovered it today to have a look and the nappies are pretty-much the same as when I put them in   :( so I have the fun job of picking them out as I dig the compost in this autumn- not a job i'm looking forward too (but I'm very pleased I only put 20 onto the heap rather than the 1 a nigh I usually uste for the last 1 1/2 years).
Let me know if any of you have been more successful- and how
Gill

That is very interesting Gill - thanks for letting us know!!  So, not really compostable at all for your average Joella.  Hmph.

Becky
xx

Must email those eco-baby folks and see what they did to get theirs to breakdown!

Vicky, the Australian nappies aren;t weenies - they're a completely 100% biodegradable disposable nappy.  It's made from a biodegradable fabric that a textile designer lady came up with.  I'll have to check the name again.  They aren't available over here yet because they're tackling the Australian/New Zealand market first - they were only launched at the end of last year.