EUROPEAN WEEK OF WASTE REDUCTION 2014: DOING OUR BIT WITH gNAPPIES AND HOTBIN
Our Hot Bin is a super composter that can reduce the waste that we produce in our house to mulch in 30 days and mature compost in 90, by heating it to 60 degrees. According to my father in law, that’s pretty impressive [read: he didn’t believe it could be done]. We’ll be writing about our HotBin more in the Spring and Summer when we get into the garden again properly; we’re very excited to have such an amazing addition to our garden.
So how does the relationship work between babies and composting?
Baby Hero uses his GNappies with liners. The disposable liners, those that aren’t soiled (just the wet ones, you can’t really compost human poop at home, eww!) go into the Hot Bin along with the waste from our house, including cardboard and paper, and everything breaks down and decomposes into mulch and compost. We will then be able to use these to improve the quality of our fruit and vegetables in the garden that the boys grow, which get picked and eaten by us – and then the cycle starts again.
So Why Buy gNappies and not just ordinary disposables?
The inserts for the gNappies are the only certified cradle to cradle nappies on the planet – which means not only do they biodegrade, but they produce positive nutrients for the earth! By reusing and recycling our waste at home instead of just throwing it all into a big dustbin, our boys have a better understanding of the reduce, reuse, recycle theory. No longer do they just watch their rubbish bin being emptied on a two weekly basis into a high lorry and carried off. Those liners that are soiled and can’t be composted still biodegrade much faster than any other regular disposable or eco-friendly nappy.
In addition to the composting side, we save on gas and electricity too. There are only gNappies covers to wash which has reduced the amount of laundry. The covers also dry very quickly in the house (or on a non-icy day on the line) and so I don’t have to spend money putting the heating on when not needed, or at the laundrette, in order to have bags of nappies dried and ready for use.
Another benefit to our household (but possibly a loss to my neighbours) is that this has now stopped my comedic antics of leaping up and down trying to stuff one last bag into the bin on the morning our rubbish gets collected. Even our recycling bin is drastically lower in volume.
The Technological Bit About The Nappies…
Being made from soft cotton on the outside and having a waterproof yet breathable inner (made with gBreathe, a material rivalling the highest tech sportswear!) means less rubbing and fewer rashes for your little one’s bottom. They fit beautifully and we’ve not had a leak yet. The pouch creates a fantastic seal around Baby Hero’s legs and instead of a bulky look which forces him into outfits designed perpetually to feature MC Hammer-like pants, he can wear anything and look very fetching indeed. He’s never asked me if his bottom looked big in them, either. He knows how good he looks.
So give them a try; 90 days in the composter sure beats 500 years in a landfill. It’s a super simple way to protect your child’s future and improve their quality of life, whilst looking awesome too. You can colour match your little one’s outfits, gain some retail therapy and make your baby happier…because who really wants to wear paper pants anyway?!
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OK, I have to admit we are not there yet with compost, but what a great idea to get your entire family involved! I have to say all these dirty diapers we see weekly at our house makes me cringe when I think of how long they'll sit in a land fill. Thanks for sharing!
Totally love our hotbin too Sara-Jayne although it's been a while since we've had any nappies to pop in!
Your photography is so sweet, it's a pleasure and an inspiration to read your posts 🙂
Never heard of a hot bin before; but it's great to have your whole family in on this!
This looks really cool! I can't wait to see how it works, because if it does, I definitely know what I am getting when I have kids!!
Those are really cute. It’s great that babies can help contribute to helping the environment haha
oh my gosh that last picture of your little man os prescious!
I still have one Granddaughter in diapers, I am going to show this post to her mom. But, I want that Hot Bin composter.
Now I know several who would benefit from that composter. I try to buy biodegradable items but that's not always as easy as it sounds.
Super cute! We use cloth and love it. Not only great for the environment but on our wallets too!
Those pictures of your little guy are adorable! I love the idea of this for the environment.
Wow, I have never heard of a Hot Bin. I know about composting, but this is really interesting.
I have never heard of a hot bin before, sounds very interesting!
That's a great reason to use them since they break down like that. I appreciate it!
Haha! Wow very new and interesting to me – and this looks really cute too.
Sounds like an awesome product to use indeed. It saves on everything. I will have to share this with my sister whom has a lil one. Thanks for sharing.
My daughter is out of diapers for a really long time now, she's getting 22 🙂 This sounds like a fabulous idea.
What a great product! I'm very happy to see more and more companies making an effort to be environmentally-friendly.
gDiapers (the US version) was the first diaper I bought. I LOVE them. And I simply love cloth diapers. I'm so happy my family went that route. If we have another baby, there is no doubt what I'll be doing for diapers. 🙂
How neat! I am going to have to share this with my friend who just had her 3rd son! She is trying to find the right diaper for him.
Wow! I totally learned a lot from this! Never heard of a hot bin!
The design of the cloth diaper shown is too cute. I have never used a composter before, but I did create a compost heap with my Dad, and was thoroughly impressed with the results. It was a lot of fun to see waste turn into nutrient-rich soil!