This year, 75 million disposable plastic nappies will be heading for Irish landfills - where they'll stay intact for centuries. But some parents are choosing greener options, writes Louise Holden.

Here's a revolting thought. The very first disposable nappy, introduced in 1961, is probably still in the ground, intact. If so, it will remain there for perhaps another 450 years before it starts to break down. It has since been joined by billions more just like it.

It's hard to put a figure on the percentage of landfill made up of nappies, but in Ireland it's estimated at anywhere between 3 and 6 per cent. Many parents are growing uncomfortable with the idea that their children are the cause of so much waste, especially waste made up of stubborn plastic and synthetic chemicals all wrapped around human faecal matter. These cannot be recycled and must go to thermal treatment plants or landfill.

An average child gets through 1,500 nappies a year before toilet training. With 50,000 children born in Ireland each year, we could be looking at 75 million nappies going to landfill annually in this country. Imagine the worldwide tally.

Whatever about the environmental cost of disposables, we are now facing a more immediate outlay. As one local authority after another introduces bin tagging, pay-by-volume and other waste charges based on quantity, the already considerable cost of keeping your child in nappies is creeping up. Families who have otherwise reduced their waste production through recycling, composting and smart shopping are finding that the disposable nappy is the one waste product that will not go quietly.

For other parents, disposable nappies cause a different kind of problem. Substances used in their manufacture, such as bleach, dye and sodium polyacrylate (an absorbent chemical for retaining fluids in the nappy) can cause a reaction in sensitive skin. Parents whose children suffer from recalcitrant nappy rash are often forced to seek out an alternative to conventional disposable nappies.

The choice in Ireland is limited, chiefly because the demand has been so low. Across Europe, the US, Australia and Canada however, parents are gradually turning away from plastic disposables in favour of other options. In the UK, for example, an estimated 10 per cent of babies are now wearing cloth nappies. The range of biodegradable, unbleached nappy varieties is getting wider too.

There is a tiny but growing number of parents in Ireland seeking to reduce their contribution to the nappy mountain. Ecobaby, an Irish supplier of unbleached biodegradables, delivers to 2,000 Irish households regularly. There are six Irish companies currently supplying cloth nappies by mail order and through retail outlets. One company, Ecoware, has started importing combination nappies made up of a washable outer layer and a flushable insert. Some local authorities are considering the provision of central composting facilities for biodegradable nappies and some maternity hospitals have looked at the possibility of using washable nappies instead of disposables.

Several local authorities, including Limerick, Wicklow, Kilkenny and DúLaoghaire-Rathdown county councils, now run annual Real Nappy Awareness campaigns.

Whether you are worried about the environment, the bin tax, the cost of disposables or the chemicals therein, there is no one answer to the nappy question. Here are some of the solutions Irish parents have found and the pros and cons of each approach. The right system for you depends on where you live, how much money you have and how much time.