The skilled marketing teams at multi-national companies have been very successful in convincing us that disposable nappies are safe, convenient and cost effective, the reality is somewhat different.  The chemical content of disposable nappies is questionable, containing trace amounts of the carcinogen Dioxin, as well as chemicals for absorbency and perfume. Chemical super-absorbers are not independently tested or subject to governement control and their long-term effects are unknown.  

• Disposable nappies take up to 500 years to decompose
• As many as 8 million nappies are thrown away every day in the UK
• Over 7 million trees are chopped down yearly to produce disposables
• For every £1 spent on disposables, the taxpayer pays 10p for disposal
• Disposable nappies can hide evidence that they need changing

A study by the Women’s Environmental Network found that disposable nappies use "20 times more raw materials, 3 times more energy, 2 times more water and generate 60 times more solid waste" than cloth nappies.  http://www.wen.org.uk