It is hard to avoid the ongoing debate as to which type of nappy is more, or less, environmentally friendly - disposable or cloth? Whichever type you choose it is impossible to avoid some impact on the environment.

Disposable nappies contribute to household waste, the majority of which goes to landfill, whereas cloth nappies consume large quantities of water, electricity and detergents. Both consume energy in their production.

Laundry services use boilers fired by fossil fuel, which emit carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Additionally the delivery and collection service will use vehicles, which consume fuel and contribute to pollution.

Wood pulp used in disposable nappies comes from softwood trees such as spruce and pine. These are grown as a crop in well-managed forests, where more trees are planted than harvested.

A proportion of the pulp used is obtained from sawmill residues.

The pulp used for the manufacture of Europe's disposable nappies accounts for approximately 0.1% of Europe's total wood usage. By comparison, paper and card use around 15%.

There is currently little alternative to landfill in the UK, however disposable nappies are compatible with other methods of waste disposal.

Around 80% of a used nappy and its content are biodegradable. Although the rate at which any material is able to break down is dependent on the individual management and construction of each landfill site.

There are no known public health issues connected to the disposal of nappies in landfill.