can i put biodegradable nappies in my compost bin?

[annady]

hi,
i use nature babycare and moltex disposables - is it true i can put these in my compost bin?
if so, is there any special procedure for doing so?
any advice gratefully received!
thanks,
anna
x

Not in an ordinary compost bin. But you may be able to degrade moltex in a wormery =-not convinced about the nature ones though. Even in the best eco nappies only about 80% of the nappies biodegrade AFAIK.

will have a nose to see if there's more info elsewhere.

Naturebotts (v cheap Moltex btw!) have this on their site:

The most environmentally friendly way of disposing of Moltex Öko nappies is to compost them, earthworm composting (?vermicomposting?) being the most efficient method. Earthworms rapidly penetrate and breakdown the nappy, excreting it as worm castings, which in turn are broken down by microbes. The resulting vermicompost can be used in your garden to great effect.

Composting the nappies does take time and effort, though. We recommend putting the nappy into the compost opened up and preferably torn in two and the compost needs to be regularly turned. Putting the nappy into compost rolled up and in a nappy sack will make the process take much longer (just as you would tear up or shred a newspaper). For further and more detailed information about composting and how to build your own wormery click here to go to www.ecobaby.ie.

You also need to remove any poo as you shouldn't compost solid human waste - it needs to go through the sewage system I think.

I think you can compost poo, but don't take my word for it, just thinking about "composting toilets" should be some info on the centre for alternative technology site

Good point cremeegg! There's a composting toilet on one of the islands in Loch Lomond which ds has taken great pleasure in using and then scooping large quantities of sawdust into

thanks so much for your suggestions / advice - will have a look at that ecobaby site.
point taken on moltex being more biodegradable than naturebaby - think you're right on the latter not being compostable, but will email them to check, just in the off-chance...
thanks again!
anna
x

I think the thing with this is that some of the nappies still have plastic on the outside. Most of it would probably go in a mixed compost but probably if you had a compost bin of just them then it would be a slow and painful process for them to break down. And Worms need a mixed diet not just nappies. I think the poo is ok but not if you are then going to put the compost on your veg.

Weenies pouch pads seem the most biodegradable from all the things I have read but haven't used them.

I think that composting toilets are entirely different to home composting and as horrible as it sounds, human and pet poo, I believe attracts rats!!!! It is not recommended to put either in it.

Take a look at camberwellenvironment.blogspot.com/ where a 14month long experiment trying to compost Moltex was a complete failure! I know this wasn't a formal wormery but those bins are pretty wormy I can tell you.

We have now moved onto using Weenie pads inside bumbletot wraps (although most brands of wraps will also do) Weenies definitely do compost without much extra encouragement or fuss, with the advantage you can then interchange them with washables. You can also collect them in compostable bags available from ecover or www.biobags.co.uk.

On flushable wipes - i am now using moist toilet paper that as far as i can see perform exactly the same as wipes but are not made from synthetic material..

ps any type of food attracts rats, we flatter ourselves if we think our poo is special i think you have to ensure your are composting conditions are right and container is secure