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Published 23 Jan 2024

What is the best eco nappy: Hybrid compostable nappies vs biodegradable nappies

What is the best eco nappy is a question that parents ask themselves (and Google) a lot. With the planet at the forefront of most people's minds and nappies being one of the most wasteful baby products, lots of parents are searching for the most eco-friendly nappy option. Well, we're here to help! Read on to find out about the hybrid nappy and how it compares to a biodegradable nappy from a sustainability perspective.

What is a hybrid eco nappy?

Ladies - you wouldn’t throw away your pants along with a used sanitary towel, now would you? So why on earth throw away a whole nappy? Surely it makes more sense to just dispose of the pad, and re-use the outer pant part? Even better if the pad could be compostable. Well, at last, such a hybrid nappy exists in the UK!

Hybrid nappies have been in mainstream use in Australia as a sustainable nappy option for the last three decades, but the concept hasn’t taken off in the UK or mainland Europe for some reason. We are now bringing them to the UK market as part our effort to make sustainable living as easy as possible.

Hybrid Eco nappy with pant, liner and the pant and liner combination

The hybrid eco nappy system comprises a soft and comfortable outer pant with a disposable pad. It has a small but genius detail in the form of a popper at the back. The pad fits in the pouch at the front of the outer pant, then extends out the back and is popped into place with the popper. This means that the pad catches ALL THE POO and reduces the number of times the outer needs to be washed. So when it comes to nappy change time, just remove the pad, put it in a compostable bag and pop in another. EASY! We’ve got compostable wet wipes and planet + skin kind baby lotion as well if you need them.

There is also a washable reusable cloth pad that fits into the pouch so you can mix and match. It has been developed to be super absorbent – it’s probably the most absorbent reusable nappy on the market – and very quick-drying. Even if you’re a committed real-nappy-washer, there are some circumstances where disposables make life easier. So you can use the reusable and compostable disposable nappy pad interchangeably. This makes the hybrid nappy not just a great eco nappy option but a practical, flexible and convenient nappy option too! 

 

What’s the difference between compostable hybrid nappies and biodegradable nappies?

biodegradable nappies in the bin
None of the nappies that are being marketed as biodegradable are 100% compostable. They all have parts like the leg cuffs and the Velcro that are plastic. If you wanted to compost these biodegradable nappies, you would have to pull off the sticky plastic parts in order to compost them. It's not something that many people are going to do with a shitty nappy. Especially when the whole biodegradable nappy is going into landfill or incineration anyway. Sadly, at the moment in the UK there is nowhere to compost sanitary products, however compostable they are. Composting is an excellent means of turning our rather yucky organic waste into lovely organic compost which then becomes something useful and productive. In Toronto they accept human waste products in their municipal compost collection and redistribute compost back to their communities. Various states in Australia collect compostable diapers as a matter of course (and dog poo, which is a lot better than having it all go to landfill in plastic bags).

The Eenee hybrid compostable nappy system provides the convenience of disposable nappies with the sustainability of cloth nappies. Even if there isn’t the facility to compost the pads, the fact that you are only disposing of the mucky half of the nappy means that the amount of nappy waste is being halved. And that can only be a good thing.

Sally Phillips

Inventor of Chimney Sheep

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PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

44.00 GBP

How does it work?

This ingenious washing machine microfibre filter kit uses cartridges to physically catch and retain the fibres that come loose when you wash your laundry. Each cartridge will last around 15-20 loads of laundry and is easily replaceable in just a couple of minutes.

Fibre retention is based solely on physical retention with the help of clever patent-pending technology.

You can also send the used cartridges back to us and we'll forward them on to PlanetCare. They will ensure that they are reused or recycled.  This ‘closed loop’ system ensures that there is minimum wastage throughout the whole process.

Something to think about:

Doing the laundry can have a huge environmental impact, whether that be using tonnes of energy running the washing machine and tumble drier - or the pollutants that are released from the products you use. Using a microfiber filter is just one way of reducing that impact. Why not make a few more changes - we've tonnes of handy tips in our blog.

 

What's in the box?

You'll get everything you need to fit your PlanetCare washing machine filter with these handy starter kits, meaning you can get it in place and start catching microfibers straight away.

The Mini Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  •  3 cartridges. These can last up to 60 washes.

The XL Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  • 13 cartridges. These can last up to 260 washes.

    Note: All the filter cartridges are 100% recycled and refurbished for use again and again via a closed-loop service.

       

      Is it easy to install?

      The microfiber filter is very easy to install. In fact, for most washing machines this process takes less than 10 minutes. The filters are compatible with all types of washing machines.

      There's actually a handy how-to video and a useful installation guide  you can take a peek at if you need a little bit more guidance.

      It’s a good idea to position it high enough above the floor/surface so the cover can be removed to change the filter and position the device so that it is easy to screw the cover back after each filter change.

      Please note: you will need 13 cm on the side of the washing machine and approx. 60 cm in height clearance so that you will be able to easily unscrew the housing and change the filter comfortably.

      The filter must be placed outside the washing machine on the drain hose. It should not be raised above the height of the drain hose exiting the washing machine. The hose length should be held to a minimum. Raising the filter and a long drain hose will both reduce the efficiency of pumping and filtering and should be avoided.

       

      What are the dimensions of the filter housing?

      The filter housing alone, without any attachments, measures the following:

      • height 325 mm, width (hose attachment direction) 122 mm, and depth 130 mm.

       

      Is the microfiber filter easy to use?

      For the first load, just make sure the filter cover is replaced correctly and screwed tight before using the washing machine. Try a short wash and make sure all connections and covers are fixed and watertight.

      It’s also a good idea to hold the top of the device when replacing the filter cover to avoid putting pressure on the bracket fixings when unscrewing the cover.

      After that, you do not need to do anything until the cartridge is full.

      >Easy!

       

      How does the closed-loop system work?

      When your cartridge is full you can send it back to us directly, simply go onto the delivery website Parcel2Go and produce a label to send the cartridges to us, don't forget to include your order details as we'll refund you the postage cost. We then send these off to PlanetCare who disassemble the cartridge and remove the fibres and filtering medium.  This is done in a controlled environment, ensuring that caught fibres do not pollute water or the environment.

       

      What does Planetcare do with the fibres?

      >At the moment PlanetCare is safely storing the used filtered materials. Once they have sufficient quantity, they will reuse/recycle it all. At the moment they are planning to reuse the materials by converting them into insulation mats. But, they're always on the lookout for viable solutions and will choose the best available option to reuse/ recycle the fibres.

      The waste will never be burned or sent to a landfill!

      The remainder of the cartridge is cleaned, and fitted with a new filtering medium ready to be used again.

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