Reusable VS Disposable Nappies Costs In 2024

19/04/24

What if I told you, you could save a heap of money and save over 6000 nappies going into landfill? By using REUSABLE NAPPIES you can save £700 compared to eco-disposables, and send NOTHING to landfill.

That can’t be possible … or can it? Money is tight and the cost of living is biting. How can eco-conscious parents make the best choices for their family, the planet and their wallet in 2024 and beyond? You might be worried about the upfront costs, or what it’s going to cost to wash and dry your cloth nappies. We’ve done the calculations and the results might just surprise you! Let’s dig into the detail …

3 reusable nappies lined up on a wooden shelf — You can save £700 compared to eco-disposables, and send NOTHING to landfill.

Are reusable nappies cheaper than disposables?

In short, yes. But for the sake of argument, lets break it down. Babies will get through a whopping 5-6000 single use nappies between birth and potty training, and although they need changing less as they get older the cost of disposables goes up with nappy size. There’s a bigger outlay in the beginning, but shop around and take advantage of our offers.

Leading brand eco-disposable:

0-6 months 21p 1227 nappies = £257.7

6-12 months 25p 1227 nappies = £306.75

12-24 months 29p 1227 nappies = £355.8

24-30 months 33p 1227 nappies = £404.9

Total £1325.12 – let’s say you’re on a subscription making it £1175.12

Leading brand disposable:

0-6 months 17.9p 1227 nappies = £219.63

6-12 months 18.9p 1227 nappies = £231.9

12-24 months 25.96p 1227 nappies = £317.79

24-30 months 28.22p 1227 nappies = £343.56

Total £1112.88

How much do reusable nappies cost?

We recommend 20-25 cloth nappies for full time use. If you shop around and take advantage of our offers you can get 20 nappies for under £300! That’s a massive saving of over £800! And, if you use them on a second child or more, you’re quids in. It’s a no-brainer right?

BUT, of course there’s a rather large elephant in the room – the cost of washing those reusable nappies. With energy prices going through the roof there’s no way that washing nappies can be cheaper – WRONG!

A Babipur World reusable nappy hanging on a toy washing line in front of a wooden washing machine — What's the cosy of washing reusable nappies?

How much does it cost to wash reusable nappies? (hint – it’s not as much as you might think!)

Our washing machine is a pretty standard Bosch Vario. They quote a 40 degree wash uses 0.51 Kwh which at today’s high rates of on average 24.5p per kwh = 12.5p so if you fill your machine with 20 nappies that’s 0.63p per nappy (chuck some towels, wipes or whatever in and it’s less).

Washing every 3 days is 122 washes per year costing £15 to run the machine. Then there’s the cost of laundry powder; 5 x 2kg bags of bio-D (£9.65 each) is £48.25, and with your Babipur 10% discount that’s £58.42 per year including energy prices.

2.5 years running costs = £146.05 + more if you use a dryer.

How much money do you really save using reusable nappies?

We estimate the total cost of full time reusable nappies including washing is £446 for one child.

This will be more if you use the tumble dryer a lot, but there isn’t many more beautiful sights than a washing line full of nappies drying in the sunshine. Add another child into the mix and you’re effectively spending £146 on just the washing.

Compared to eco disposables at £1175.12 that’s a saving of over £700

Compared to a leading brand of disposables at £1112.88 that’s a saving of over £600!

Are reusable nappies better than disposable nappies?

Well, we may be biased, but yes we certainly think they are! When it comes to reusable vs disposable nappies many of us are concerned with more than just the cost. The environmental impact and carbon footprint is also important.

Not only are you throwing away money every time you change your baby’s single-use nappy, but those nappies take 500 years to decompose. They will be adding methane emissions into the atmosphere as they slowly break down and require 1 cup of crude oil to make one nappy. Zero Waste Europe estimated that 1,500 litres of crude oil are needed to produce enough single-use nappies for one child.

It’s also worth noting that bio-degradable nappies will still end up in landfill and will not be degrading anytime soon. Reusable nappies really are the best choice from a climate and environmental perspective.