Biodegradable nappies and landfill – what’s the real story?

7 March 2006

The issues of landfill, biodegradability and global warming are of concern to many Australians. When it comes to disposable nappies, many of these concerns are unfounded as they are based on myths and misconceptions.

Kimberly-Clark understands that parents care about the environment, as well as their baby’s well-being. Parents want to make informed choices about baby products. Here we offer some more factual insights into issues of nappies, landfill and biodegradability.

Everything in landfill is “mummified”, preventing breakdown

Landfill sites are engineered to be stable and low in moisture.

In Australia, landfills are so dry and compact they tend to “mummify” their contents. As a result, nothing much breaks down in landfill – even newspapers, which are 100% degradable above ground, remain intact and legible for decades in landfills.

This means a biodegradable nappy in landfill is normally not given the chance to biodegrade. (Virtually all nappies you put in your garbage bin ends up in landfill.)

Find out more about degradable nappies.

Nappies make up less than 1% of landfill

There is a firmly held misconception that nappies are responsible for the increase in landfill. In fact, research shows that nappies take up less than 1% of landfill.

Of all domestic waste, nappies make up about 2% by weight, and domestic wastes are only about 36% of all urban solid wastes going to landfill.

Interestingly, food and garden waste accounts for around 55% of our total domestic waste!

Nappy bulk is the real issue

However, at Kimberly-Clark, we understand you may still be concerned about the volume of nappies you throw out which end up in landfill. That’s why we have focused on a real issue in landfill management and have reduced the volume, or bulk, of our nappies.

We have lessened the bulk of Huggies^® nappies by 50% over the past 10 years by improving the absorbency and performance of the nappy. This reduces the amount of space each nappy takes up in landfill.

Find out more about nappies and landfill.

Kimberly-Clark works to lower the environmental impact of our whole product manufacturing cycle, for example by recycling waste back into the production process, and reducing greenhouse emissions. The Caring for our environment section tells you about our environmental policies and practices, and contains answers the top environmental questions about our products.

For more myth-busting, see the Common myths section of Caring for our environment.