Nursery World - Disposable myths

Further to the feature 'Cotton bottoms' (19 April), I would like to point out that it is quite legal to dispose of used disposable nappies via household waste. Used nappies do not emit methane gas or release viruses into the environment. They are largely sent to landfill sites that are licensed and regulated by the Environment Agency and do not constitute a public health risk. It is inappropriate to refer to the disposal of these nappies as a 'threat to the environment'.

Used nappies do not emit methane gas or release viruses into the environment. They are largely sent to landfill sites that are licensed and regulated by the Environment Agency and do not constitute a public health risk. It is inappropriate to refer to the disposal of these nappies as a 'threat to the environment'.

By far the greatest sources of methane gas or released viruses are natural wetlands and cattle, not disposable nappies. Used nappies degrade at the same rate as any other biodegradable material, and while no-one knows how long that will take, the 500 years quoted in the article is a figure that seems to have been plucked from the air - and is rather unlikely, as more than 80 per cent of a disposable is biodegradable.

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