Manufacturers and consumers should unite

A single disposable nappy can take 200 to 500 years to disintegrate in a landfill.

“With South Africa already facing a challenge of running out of landfill site airspace, the local production and sale of about 1,4 billion nappies per year should be of huge concern,” warns Mpendulo Ginindza, president of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA).

“A child using disposable nappies is believed to produce up to 900 kg of nappy waste in the first two years of life,” Ginindza continues. She contends that consumers, who are increasingly moving away from single-use plastic items like straws and bags, should also acknowledge that nappies are made of single-use plastic: “These disposable nappies’ production and disposal leave a large carbon footprint. Their manufacturing involves crude oil, water, and wood pulp.”

She adds that the improper disposal of nappies leaves them lying around, exposed to children, waste collectors, and animals. “It is often misleading to claim on the label that disposable nappies are ‘biodegradable’ or ‘eco-disposable’,” Ginindza cautions. “These nappies typically include mixed materials which require different environments in order to degrade; they cannot do so in a landfill. They cannot be thrown away in a standard compost bin either.” 

The resulting impact on health and the environment is huge.

The role of nappy manufacturers in EPR

The legal criteria for extended producer responsibility (EPR) came into effect in May 2021. “These requirements put back the responsibility on paper, packaging, and single-use product manufacturers and importers to assume responsibility for the complete life of the products they generate,” Ginindza explains. “Yet it is tricky to say where nappy manufactures fall within these categories. Most often, they are considered as producers of hygiene products.”

Nappies, however, are made, confined, and wrapped in plastic during bulk packaging. As a result, their contributions will need to be considered if EPR is to succeed. “We are still in the early days of implementation of these requirements. All stakeholders are working hard to understand and implement these requirements,” Ginindza says.

Small consumer actions can make a world of difference

By making conscious decisions regarding disposal, consumers can make a significant difference. Ginindza has two suggestions for those who don’t know where to start.

“Consumers could consider adopting reusable nappies part-time,” she suggests. “We cannot deny that there is a valid or reasonable need for disposable nappies. They are sometimes used for sick or elderly people to help keep them clean. However, we can normalise modern cloth nappies and promote reusable nappies in a positive way.”

She continues by saying that there is a lot of assistance available from senior family members and online tutorial videos to help families get to grips with reusable nappies, adding: “Secondly, we have to work towards separation at source, to help control odours and downstream safety, health, and environmental risks.”

It is important for consumers to remember that they do not need to aim for perfection. “Millions of people making imperfect changes can and will make a difference,” notes Ginindza.