what exactly is in disposable nappies and can I dispose of them by..

[sylar]

burning them on my multifuel burner? (thus reducing my oil consumption)

Or are they just full of plastic in which case I suspect they'll mess it up.

I know the environmentally pure option is to stop using the dispoables but that just isn't going to happen in this houise I'm afraid.

Nature baby nappies here are made of cornstarch on the outside - paper pulp in the middle.

I have no idea if you can burn them but if you contact them I am sure they would tell you.

All disp nappies have some plastics (polyester woven into paper,usually); I wouldn't want to burn polyester. The friendliest eco-disps will have the least plastic.
Sodium polyacrylate (SAP) is the main absorbent stuff (the 'gel' in a wet nappy). This safety sheet suggests it might be okay to burn SAP. More about what's in disposable diapers.

You can get good biodegradable disposable nappies. I don't know if you can burn them, but I guess you don't need to if they biodegrade! I get mine here

not sure about the burning issue, but I'm sure that moltex oko nappies have gel in them these days, specifically because it takes up less room in landfill. also, on the nature babycare website they recommend bagging them and putting out wiht household waste as they are not 100% biodegradeable.

and regarding biodegradability; nappies will only degrade if they are composted openly and turned over regularly (although you shouldn't put faeces in compost). no nappy will degrade in a landfill situation as landfills are anaerobic and the nappies need air to break down.

I use Bambo Nature, too, Mylo -- I like 'em but they are not 100% biodegradeable. None of the eco-disps are; the closest is the Weenies/Gdiaper product (which are mostly unsuitable for UK drains). Bambo still have gel and some plastic/polyester. Read more.