Aha! I always knew it was the hippies ruining the environment.

Ricky, Atlantis, Greece

The washing practices described are hardly 'extreme,' and hardly the exception. Most of use who use cloth wash sensibly, and either buy used, re-sell, or re-use the diapers on future children. With disposables, all you can do is change less often; with cloth there are many ways to reduce impact.

Audrey, Niwot,CO, USA

Washables/disposables is a personal choice largely based on family life and principles - so long as it is an informed choice.
What about the detergent you use, the type of washing machine, the production of the nappies?!
Lots of little green steps add up - some of us do the best. we can.

Ingrid, Warwick,

It isn't about cost of disposibles, which are more expensive over time, even with coupons. Cloth diapers are good for babies, dont have all the chemicals, reduce the need for diaper rash ointments and more

BK, Evansville, IN, USA

We hang-dry our diapers year round (as with all of our clothes) because it saves considerably on our electric bill and means we didn't have to spend to buy a new dryer when our old one died. The diapers we use are hand-me-downs and are sturdy enough to have lasted two years so far. No problem.

Melissa, Asheville, USA

I find this government study completely flawed, as it doesn't include the fact that disposable diapers fill up our landfills and release methane into the atmosphere.
Besides that point, I am really disappointed about some of the comments people have left here. Global warming is a real.

Nicole, Guayanilla, Puerto Rico

I spend $20 a month on disposable diapers. If you use coupons and buy on sale, they're not that expensive.

Lees, Indiana, USA

This is a ridiculous interpretation of the results. 40% improvement on global warming impact of washables used in the best way means that even only halving the amount of tumbledrying assumed and washing with full loads (common sense) gives a 25% improvement on disposables.

Kay Wagland, London,

Interesting that they would study this, but not sure I buy their argument. Seems like they should look beyond just global warming, which is a whole additional argument, and study something the know it would have a direct effect on - such as landfills.

Jennifer, Anywhere, USS

This report wrongly equates carbon footprint with overall environmental impact. While cloth diapers have a slightly higher carbon footprint, there is no accounting for the thousands (literally) of disposable diapers that remain in landfills for all time.

Krista Durlas, St. Louis, MO, USA

Let's not forget that tree-huggers also don't want us to use toilet-paper, but insist on washable cloth-- or leaves.
This just shows how unsanitary these people are, and then fault of for being revolted by their foul stench from every odor possible.

Brian Armstrong, Detroit, USA

If you have more than one child and save your reusable, um, "nappies", you will also save an enormous amount of money. Especially if you do hang them to dry (better for the diapers that way actually). Forget the planet, save yourself.

James, Whitehall, Someplace else

Well it's good to see that Americans aren't the only hypocrites. Remember Nixon, who commissioned a report on marijuana? Then he didn't like the results so he ignored all his experts.

Politics trumps the environment, health, and of course, the economy.

eric, LA, USA

Many of the people who are commenting here have clearly not seen the actual report Having read it myself I am rather suprised by some of the comments made in this article - the report is quite detailed about the laundry options and clearly shows an 'extreme approach' to is not required.

J Wilks, Bude, UK

So is the government suggesting that we all WEAR DISPOSABLE CLOTHING? When I was a kid in central New York State, my mother hung the wash on the line in the dead of winter, then brought it in, frozen stiff and the pants and shirts stood up by themselves! I presume my diapers did the same thing!

Ed Clancy , New Orleans, Louisiana , USA

From what I see, it only talks about the washing and drying of nappies by themselves. I cannot see someone doing one load entirely of nappies. If the nappies are washed and dried with other clothes (or done through a service) the differential footprint will be minimal.

Eric, Manassas, USA

I lost this battle with my wife. I pushed and pushed to use disposable and at about 9 mo my lovely bride started introduciotn re-usable. We compromised to use disposable only at night. If tending to discusting reusable diapers isn't enought, or the poor CO2 result, the energy bills are a killer.

patrick, minneapolis, usa

Methane in landfills is harvested for power in most places in the US today and global warming is a Hoax, the tempeture of earth is due to solar activity, you know that big glowy thing that produces more power and heat than ... oh say any thing else that effects the earth.

Logan, Anchorage,

OMG this study doesn't support my world view THEREFORE it must be wrong. Reusable HAS to better than throwaway. Logic and science be damned (in this case only).

Like the situation with corrugate totes and plastic totes. Every lifecycle I've seen shows corrugate better, even in a closed system.

Dave, salt lake city,

We started with flannel nappies but found them to be so labour intensive when compared with disposables that we quickly switched.

Arnold Ward, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

Matt S in Philly:

http://www.greenlivinganswers.com/archives/133

robert, Las Vegas, USA

Saving the environment is all well and good, but it is a pointless thing to do when it drives you broke as a parent. The savings from using cloth over disposable for a single child can amount to $10 to $20 per week. Over 2 to 3 years that really adds up

Brad, Huber Heights, USA

Bill from Chicago says: "I reject the whole notion that unless we act to "save" the Earth it will die, be destroyed or otherwise perish."

Please tell that to every single species that the human race has personally eradicated.

Derric Williams, Seattle, WA

Reusables were lent to uby another couple and then went back for their 2nd child. They don't have to stay in same family and there are mum's groups within which they can be passed around. This is an important story because it shows the gov. slippery evasion of a straightforward issue.

Bridget, Cambridge, UK

Another issue that does not seem to have been mentioned: The sheer amount of water that it takes to wash dirty nappies. It also takes water to make the paper for disposables, but I suspect it is small by comparison.

And then when you use HOT water to do this, there's lot of energy involved.

Neal J. King, Munich, GERMANY

What is so 'green' about reducing carbon dioxide? Plants, those 'GREEN' things evolved ~400 million years ago when CO2 was 5 to 8 time HIGHER than it is now & ave. temp was about ~8 deg C WARMER. Plants LOVE more CO2! CO2 is not causing global warming - it's been getting colder for 10 years!

Mike M, Boston MA, USA

Right on Bill from Chicago, USA!! You speak the truth and they will have none of it.

Doug from Minneapolis, Minneapolis, USA

Our cloth diapers are being used on their eighth baby (my third). Over 32,000 plastic diapers have not been added to the landfill by this single set of cotton cloths; rather amazing, really I feel good about our diapering choices and these will go on to more babies when we're done with them. Green!

Julia, Bellevue, WA, USA

I agree with Clive in Surrey, if people would stop having so many children, that would definitely cut down on the amount of diapers(disposable or reusable) being used! But no one wants to hear that! So breed on, and watch the planet disintegrate.

monica, Seattle, USA

But surely there are two different issues here? Reusable nappies cut down on landfill, disposables cut down on carbon usage. Which is the priority?

V, london, uk

If you don't wash the diapers in hot water, you risk leaving them germ-infested. Hanging them out to dry makes them stiff and distorts the shape of the material. If you are going to wash them in cold water, you have to add bleach; this will irritate the baby's skin and shorten the life of the diaper

E, Boston,

Nappies Unite
It goes without saying that this need to save the planet from ‘global warming’ and total destruction would not have come up if Bush hadn’t deregulated the climate.

Jim Christ, Prescott Valley, Arizona, USA

How much more evidence needs to be published before scientists are discredited?

They change their arguement daily and no one calls them on it.

Now instead of global warming it's global cooling? Wow, they were wrong on a planetary scale! The earth will never be destroyed, stop looking into it.

Fred, New York, USE

This debate is a joke, as, like most discussions re climate change, it avoids the main problems which are (1) population growth and (2) the reckless attitudes of the prosperous part of humanity to stuff like air transport. So have fewer children (like the Chinese) and cancel your next flight.

Don, Orpington, UK

Garth, they should show us the carbon footprint of each old age pensioner.

john, woodbridge,

Please look at Google Earth and find the North Pole where you will find that it is blue, then look at the South Pole and you will find that it is white. The northern icecap is no more. Doom, global warming is here. No more cold weather. Diapers tend to be white, and I wonder if there is a connection

Desi, Eastleigh,

"The conclusions will upset proponents of real nappies who have claimed they can help save the planet"

Ah diddums. Those pesky facts again heh?

"A Defra spokesman said the government was shelving plans for future research on nappies."

Doesn't stop the Government though. As usual.

Anthony Lester, Brum,

Everyone has some good points that the article did not talk about. We personally hang to dry 90% of the time as well as let them soak in the washing machine overnight in cold water. It really cuts down on needing to use hot water to wash.
3 kids using same diapers over 5+ yrs total cut on footprint!

Alaina, Pennsylvania, United States

What is the impact on a child of diarrhea resulting from reuse of unsterilized nappies? If forced to choose between the environment and the health of my child, it's a no-brainer.

Tom Davidson, Richmond, Virgina, US

Imagine the horror of some future anthropologist digging through our landfills and finds a long daisy chain of strange egg shaped objects. The Diaper Genie people want to take a disposable and wrap it yet again in plastic. That should give the poo a fresh date of somewhere around 2090. Yuck!

Darrell, Houston, USA

The last thing you should want anything containing carbon to do in landfill is degrade!!. The longer it stays inert the better-from the CO2 production point of view. Plastics in landfill are better than plastics that are burnt or degrade in the atmosphere- fewer greenhouse gases.

Mark McElroy, Derby, UK

I think the landfill point by Jayne is a reasonable one.
My wife and I found an environmentally friendly range of disposables, which use no chlorine in their manufacture and are 100% bio-degradable, because we were concerned by that.

Brian, Basildon,

This report talks only about the carbon effect and mentions nothing about the landfill issue. This is the major issue.
There is nothing extreme about laundering nappies at 60 and linedrying. Most modern nappies even have a max wash temperature of 60.

Jayne Lefort, Ispra, Italy

What a stupid research. How about the CO2 produced when all these billions of nappies are manufactured, building the plants, feeding all the workers, disposing the waste products etc.?

Leonard, Leiden, Holland

To billy bingle, From the ancient Egyptians, to Aristotle, to Ptolemy, to St. Thomas Aquinas, the earth has always been held round by science. The flat earth example is a myth.

BTW, I agree about what you said about "climate change", and also think cloth is the way to go.

Joshua, Los Angeles,

Can this make the British Government and DEFRA look any more stupid? I mean, is there any level at which this is any funnier if it wasn't such a sad commentary about the ludicrousness of bureaucrats and government employees??

Dave, Phoenix, AZ, USA

The same conclusion applies in comparing re-usable coffee mugs and styrofoam cups. You won't hear about that study either.

Carl, Toronto, Canada

Poor RIchard Crow of Poland. You are more significant than you think. Find God, my man.

TJ, MN, USA

I don't see anything that mentions the landfill use and life of the disposables, was that taken into account?

ron, ronners, uk

Duh there is no CO2 caused global anything to start with. and MY god how many people would this report have provided diapers for if it had been spent on people not reports. Is it going to take 100 years to end this fraud and scam? Will we some day get to sue government for denying us carbon today?

Richard, Beaumont, USA

They should tell us the carbon footprint of each new child.....

Garth, Australia,

Here's an idea . . . if the environment can't handle nappies, stop cranking out babies!

Glen, Crestline, USA

And of course another fact the environmentalists dont want people to know....all because they are looking more and more foolish.

This whole warming scheme is so over.... People need to wake up and see the truth. We are now in a cooling spell.... LOL

timothy , Tampa, USA

I'm 71, and the children's reusable nappies are still being used around the house!

John, Canterbury, UK

This smells like the diaper on the global warming baby tooo...

Clifton, Louisville, USA

"The Earth will survive but , unfortunately, humans will not."

Well said, Stephanie. This planet is five-billion years old and has another five-billion years to go before it becomes a frozen ball. We are merely a miniscule insignificant blot in its history.

Richard Crow, Warsaw, Poland

This story is about a civil service so incapable that it cannot understand how to measure environmental impact, and a government at once so corrupt as to want to suppress the truth, and so stupid as to fail to realise the irrelevance of the truth that it wishes to suppress.

James E. Petts, Burnham, England

In the last 4 years, all of the global warming of the last 30 years has been canceled. If the sun stays in its solar minimum (few spots and low solar wind), we should prepare for an ice age. The religion of global warming is a mental disorder devoid of all interest in facts.

Jill, Paris, France

The reusable nappy doesn't filll up dumps and doesn't use oil resources to make the plastic wrapping. The carbon footprint calculations are questionable. Nappies can be dried outside in summer and on radiators in winter. Simple.

Poppy, Toronto,

Jeremy, the cooling has already started.

Patrick, Milwaukee, USA

Anyone stop to think about the carbon produced to manufacture the oil based reusable, the paper used for the fibres and packageing, The transportation costs to distribute them. The carbon producede by the waste management industry to dispose of them, with garbage trucks, landfill equipment, etc.

wpb, ahoskie, usa

So how about landfills?

Andrew, Bremen, Germany

I can't wait until the next cooling period starts and everbody get worried about another ice age. Global warming is political propaganda with no resonable scientific proof. So, my wife and I are going to continue using our cloth diapers with no concern what so ever of any affect on the climate.

Jeremy , Detroit, U.S.

Matt, Perhaps it does take the particular issues you mention into account; however, we wouldn't know since we can't see the report. It would be nice to see the report and be able to weigh the issues, but I suppose some people believe we are just not to be trusted with such information.

Yvonne, Los Angeles, USA

A “carbon footprint” is not the only metric that should be used to judge the environmental impact of a product. When economics and technology make it attractive to dry clothing with renewable resources (i.e. a "footprint" of near zero), then reusable nappies will be a more prudent choice.

Brandon Gonzales, Colorado, USA

In an earlier age, "the earth is round" was buried by the authorities, too: "we don't want to talk about it." Here's the latest example of being so tied to your religious view of the world (and the "save the earth from mankind" is a religion, no mistake about it), that science is ignored.

Billy Bingle, Atlanta, USA

Though the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does vitally important work, I still believe that their funding should be stripped and given to the Ministry of Silly Walks in order to properly prioritize those services that are necessary for the good of the British public.

Mike, Colorado, USA

The Earth will survive but , unfortunately, humans will not. We will be a spectacular failure compared to the dinosaurs who managed 250m years compared to our probable .5m years.

Stephanie , Rancon, France

This report doesn't seem to account for the impact of the tons of waste created by disposable that untimately end up in landfills.

Another 'intangible' pro to reusables is the absence of the chemicals used in disposables, some of which are known to cause developmental problems, especially in boys.

Matt S, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

"Are the greenies allowing us to have children now?"
John, Northampton, PA,

No. (unless you promise they'll grow up Democrats)

john, henly, usa

This whole debate is taking for granted the validity of the concept that the planet needs "saving". Not only that, but that humans even have the ability to save it.
I reject the whole notion that unless we act to "save" the Earth it will die, be destroyed or otherwise perish. Rubbish.

Bill, Chicago, USA

Would it really be so difficult to make a disposable diaper that is compostable?

MJ, Wellesley, MA, USA

We used disposable with our children, but I'd like to point out that cloth diapers are still far cheaper than disposable and don't contribute to the filling up of landfills. Despite what the Johnny-come-latelies to the movement tend to believe, environmental impact isn't just about carbon footprint.

Anne, Mesa, AZ, USA

umm... ever hear of externalized costs? why is there no mention of the environmental impact of disposables? because suddenly everyone thinks we can reduce our environmental concerns to carbon footprint, an easily measurable factor that allows people to make ridiculous claims such as this.

jim, san diego,

If the study does not consider the methane emissions from disposables in a landfill, then it is fatally flawed. Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. Further, many (most) people subscribe to a diaper service. The economy of scale in laundering mass quantities was not considered.

Eric, Flemington, NJ

I thought the nappy issue was about limited space for landfill?

Mark, Woking, UK

I line dry my nappies in Michigan year round. The sun does wonders for the smell and staining, and even if they remain a bit damp from the line in winter, they dry very quickly once inside if laid flat.

martha, lansing, US

But when the Earth is cooling since 1998, why are we wasting resources on these concerns? Now, I can understand the question of clogging up landfils. A study about the impact on landfills of disposables versus washables might be important. But the Earth has actually cooled since 1998.

Jonathon Moseley, Wilmington, NC, USA

Yes, but how do reusable diapers compare against disposables when you consider delivery services that use thousands of them and that can be used by hundreds, if not thousands, of babies over the course of the reusable diaper's lifetime? The benefit may not be immediate, but over the long term?

Laurence, New York, USA

I thought the movie V for Vendetta was about a futuristic England. Guess I was wrong.

Mike, USA,

Try line-drying those nappies in Canada or the northern US from October through April - not gonna happen.

Mike, New York, NY

Are the greenies allowing us to have children now?

John, Northampton, PA,

I wish people would come to understand that all this "save the planet" nonsense is nothing more than a political movement designed to control your life by telling you what you can eat, drink, wear, drive, and so on. It's all about power for politicians and little about actually doing some good.

James, Memphis, TN, USA

Speaking of waste, have a look at the story a while back where Hillary wanted to sue dairies that made Swiss cheese with holes greater than 1/4 inch. She went on this psychotic power delusion where she envisioned federal government regulation on the size of holes in Swiss cheese sold in the US.

Robert, Dallas, USA

My step brother is a big time greenie, always preaching about how we can all reduce our footprint, etc, including the use of cloth diapers.

Until he had his first kid. They were using Pampers within a month.

John, Northampton, PA,

The opinions on nappies has run clearly against in the first few comments (which mention the government cover up) and then clearly for them (mostly housewives who actually wash them). Is the times selectively choosing the positive to balance the negative?

tim stvens, New York, USA

It's amazing that they spent 50,000 pounds to find out something for a problem that doesn't exist. Seeing the current state of government worldwide, actually maybe it isn't so amazing.

Smitty, Pittsburgh, USA

It gets stranger, Apparenty new "green moms" rush out and buy non-disposables then proceed after a month or so to switch to disposables for one reason or another. I'm sure this is happening on other fronts as well.

Bob, Vancouver, Canada

This is just the tip of the iceberg; Read "Trashing The Planet" by Dixie Lee Ray and you'll see this is part of a pattern where governments and the environment are concerned. This has been going on for decades.

Dave, Lancaster, PA, USA

My Vietnamese born wife potty trained our daughter when she was 1 month old. We bought only one package of disposables. She was a stay at home mom for the first three years (my daughter is 5 years old now). How green is that?

Bob Fastner, Maplewood, MN, United States

The green industry is a racket where a non-problem is matched with a non-solution, that costs more in money and time.

Brian, Arlington, VA, USA

Don't worry about your government waste. My goverment has set aside money, as part of the Wall Street bailout, to research wool. I think they are trying to figure out how to make the sweaters less itchy. We also set aside money for toy wooden arrows and an oil spill that occurred about 20 years ago

Coady, Lake Wylie, SC, USA

I've got it!!!

Recycle your disposables!!!

William, Charlotte, USA

One should wash and dry reusable diapers at a high temperature to kill the fecal coliform bacteria that get on them. Washing them in lukewarm water and then hanging them out to dry is insufficient to properly clean and sterilize them.

There is a reason that disposaple diapers were invented.

Dennis, Melbourne, FL, USA

Sooner or later, this whole man-made Global Warming (changed it's name to "Climate Change" since it's not actually warming) thing is gonna go away. Just like your tax dollars...

Justin, Georgia,

the green movement has very little to do with being intelligent informed or insightful, and its certainly not trustworthy. its all about totemic gestures that shift ones perception of oneself without any real cost or achieving ANYTHING, except a faux sense of satisfaction that 'i have done my part'

chris, harrogate, uk

I am confused, in this article they are saying that cloth is leaving a higher carbon footprint yet in the link on the left hand side to this article it is saying that it reduces carbon footprints by 40%.

Jacqui, Glasgow,

Avoiding using a tumble dryer is recommended for all washing and is not 'extreme'. Washing at 40 or even 30 now is recommended by major detergent companies and since when were hand-me-downs morally abhorant? Thousands use cotton nappies and love them. If they were a poor substitute no-one would!

Rebecca Cook, kettering, uk

So the government spends 50,000 of tax payers money in the hope to support their own policies and when it backfires they bury the outcome. How many more reports have been buried and how much more of tax payers money has been spent trying to further their own political agenda.

Rik, Southampton, England

The report on reusable nappies was positive, how on earth have you managed to twist it around to make it sound negative? How much did pampers pay you?

I notice the link right next to this article that says "Intelligent, informed insights you can trust. Washable nappies greener than disposables".

Zoe McCormick, Edinburgh, UK

Great idea. Use drinking water to wash nappies.

Stephen Almond, Clitheroe, United Kingdom

It is said that one of the bad points of disposible nappies is that they take a very long time to degrade.Can any one tell me why something that is in actual use for probably a couple of hours cannot be made with materials that will bio-degrade in just a few days or even weeks

jerym eedy, caerphilly, mid glamorgan

Why waste money on yet another report that fails to take into account the fact that washable nappies cascade naturally to other children, that extreme laundering is not needed and that they make damn fine floorcloths after years of service?

diana, derby, uk

It's NOT the nappies that contribute most to the climate change problem, it's having CHILDREN.

Sooner or later (though I suspect much, much later) we'll wake up to the fact that the KEY element to climate change is the world POPULATION.

Yet its too politically sensitve to mention

Clive, Surrey,

With the government approving increased air travel, it's no wonder they don't want to tackle issues as small as this.

They'll have NO credibility on climate change until they tackle the really big factors - air and road travel, energy generation - and stop pretending low energy bulbs will save us

Clive, Surrey,

A most worthy attempt to remind us of things that have made our lives exciting - before the present economic tsunami has plunged us all into a survival mode. Thanks for putting a smile on my face in these dire times by deconstructing yet another Green myth.

Vickie, TA,

Buying 4,000 disposable nappies or 30 washable nappies - no scientist required! Add in cost savings of over £300, substantial reduction to landfill, can be used for more than one child, remove chemical presence to delicate babies skin, aleviate skin conditions such as eczema, the list goes on!

sarah spicer, milton keynes, england

I have used the same nappies on all 3 children. I add them to other laundry in 3 loads a wk at 40-60 degrees and line/ airer dry them. If I had used disposables I would have added 16,500 nappies to landfill. It's like suggesting we all throw our clothes away after one use to save energy on laundry!

Amy, Bristol,

Likewise. Nappies were boiled up on the Rayburn & dried above when not line-flapping.
15 years later & after being used for 3 kids, they're still in use for mopping-up etc - so stick that in the equation, Defra-blokes.

Sealing poo in plastic is a stupid idea whichever way you look at it.

jess, Hemsby, uk

It doesn't sound like they've included the cost of landfill ?

Bob the Builder, Dorchester, Dorset

For crying out loud!! Which cloth nappy user actually uses a tumble dryer or washes at 90 degrees? On the contrary, it is damaging to the nappy to wash at high temperatures or tumble dry. All my nappies are hung out to dry.
I give up on the media, I really do.

Sue, Cardiff,

Oh for pity's sake. How many of us use tumble dryers and wash at 90? Certainly not me. My nappies flapped on the line, or the guylines of my tent when we were camping (when they were handwashed, and trust me, that certainly wasn't at 90!) and my washing machine never goes on over 40, nappies or not.

Jax, brighouse, UK