Can plastic-eating fungi help clean up nappy waste? 2 days ago Share Save Suzanne Bearne Technology Reporter Share Save Leila Green Leila Green's triplets would get through 25 nappies a day Before Leila Green became a mother of triplets three years ago, she envisaged she'd be the kind of parent who would use reusable nappies. "But as soon as my babies arrived, I realised I just couldn't – I was flat out looking after the three of them so I went for the easy option." "I'd buy disposables and in the early days we'd get through 25 a day," continues Green, who lives in Broadstairs in Kent and runs an online community focused on motherhood issue. "I think the reality is that mums would like an eco option but they are so busy and it would have to be priced appropriately." Globally, it's estimated that 300,000 disposable nappies are sent to landfill or incinerated every minute, leading to environmental issues as many contain plastics and synthetic materials and can take hundreds of years to decompose. While there's sustainable alternatives such as washable nappies, the effort and cost limits how widely they're used. Hiro Hiro supplies a sachet of funghi which it says speeds up the breakdown of the nappy Over the years many start-ups have marketed greener alternatives to disposable nappies. Can the latest make an impression? Texas-based company Hiro Technologies has created unbleached disposable diapers that comes with a packet of fungi which is added to the used diaper when it's ready to be thrown away. The fungi are able to break down and digest the diaper over time, says co-founder Miki Agrawa, who started the brand after being shocked by how many nappies her son was going through. So how quickly does it work? Agrawa says it's hard to be specific. "We cannot give a timeline because all conditions are different and the fungi currently works in some conditions better than others," says Agrawa. "All we can say that it's exponentially faster than without the fungi in the best conditions, and still better than nothing in the worst conditions." The diapers cost $136 (£100) for a month's supply, though there is a subscription price of $199. That's significantly more than regular disposables, which are estimated to cost around $70 a month. Is the price out of range for most parents? "The price is less expensive than luxury diapers," replies Agrawa. "I think it's a great deal for the diaper that is best for baby and their planet they will grow up in." She adds that demand is growing fast. Price tags aside, Sonali Jagadev, senior research analyst at Euromonitor, says progress in creating a more innovative and sustainable nappy remains slow and uneven due to several factors including high production costs and supply chain constraints. "Bio-based polymers, bamboo fibres and organic cotton all come with higher raw material and processing costs than traditional plastics, while the supply chains f
Originally reported by BBC Business. Published on ABN12.