The nappy problem

Billions of disposable nappies, or diapers, are produced every year and sales are booming. Most go to landfill, some pollute rivers and oceans and a baby can get through 4,000-6,000 nappies by the time they are potty trained.

New dad and Business Daily presenter Rick Kelsey looks into whether the available alternatives to disposable nappies are as cheap or convenient for parents. We hear from with nappy innovators Jason and Kim Graham-Nye in Indonesia, who’ve been in the market for 20 years, about how the alternative industry has changed.

The City of Brussels in Belgium is planning to introduce washable, and therefore reusable, nappies in all 40 of its municipal daycare centres by 2026. Arnaud Pinxteren who is leading the scheme tells us how it works. Meanwhile Larissa Copello, who works on the nappy issue for the campaign group Zero Waste Europe, tells us how schemes like the one in Brussels could be scaled up.

Presenter/producer: Rick Kelsey

(Photo: Nappy change. Credit: Getty Images)