While emptying yet another bin load of 'eco' disposable nappies after what was probably the fourth or fifth time that day that I had changed my newborn daughter, I was suddenly struck by just how much a tiny little person consumes and disposes on a daily basis. I felt pretty squeamish about the amount of waste created by my daughter even though she resides in a well-intentioned and fairly environmentally conscious household.
Because small babies grow - often at an alarming rate - it is perhaps unsurprising that most parents end up buying cheap, mass-produced, "we don't mind if it's thrown away once it's been covered in sick" products for their little ones. Having a baby, therefore, has really hammered home to me what a 'consume and dispose' culture we live in.
But it's not just the large and lucrative baby market for which this rings true. Most of the people I know - me included - shop mainly in those big high street stores, buying products that we know millions of others will have bought - that are usually rather poor in quality and have a price tag to match - and we won't worry too much when it ends up in the bin, destined for landfill, when it becomes tired, broken or simply out of date.
Charming as it sounds, being confronted by a large pile of soiled nappies has encouraged me to think harder about my consumption and that of my family in every aspect of our lives. I've started to realise the value of buying things to last, buying things that say something about who I am. Is my daughter really going to remember the dozens of mass-produced plastic toys she played with as a little girl, or is it more likely that she will treasure a few special, quality items that are individual to her? Likewise for me, what will give me (and the planet) most pleasure, high-street purchases that are owned by half the population and will be discarded as quickly as it was bought or something hand-made, unique and that says something about who I am and what's important to me? So from now on, when I embark on a shopping trip either on foot or online, I am going to remember that large pile of nappies!
Iris Eve