WEENEES ECO PADS
What are they made from?
Weenees ecoPads are very simple disposable pads, which have a biodegradable cellulose based outercover (rayon). Inside they have non-chlorine bleached fluff (paper) pulp from farmed trees and a super absorbing polymer (SAP) for absorbancy.
What don’t they have in them?
They don’t have any plastic, elastic, sticky tabs, perfumes or dyes (most of which are found in other ‘disposable’ nappies making them extremely difficult and expensive to ‘recycle’): perfumes can irritate some babies if they are sensitive to them.
What is the gel inside the pads?
The gel inside the Weenees ecoPads is a super absorbing polymer, sometimes called ‘lock away cells’, ‘waterstoring granules’, ‘SAP’, ‘sodium polyacrylate’ or ‘acrylic polymer’. SAP is a long chain polymer which will soak up and hold large quantities of water¹.
Why do you use SAP, isn’t it a chemical?
SAP significantly improves the absorbency of the ecoPads: because it locks the moisture away it is more comfortable for your baby. A pad with no SAP would require much larger quantities of fluff pulp: it would be very bulky pad and still not provide the ‘stay dry’ properties your baby needs.
Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation about SAP and often a negative inference to the word ‘chemical’. SAP is one of the most extensively tested materials available in the sanitary industry. It has been found to be non-toxic, non-gene altering and non-irritating in the hundreds of tests done. It has now been widely used in sanitary products for several decades, with a marked improvement in babies skin since its introduction to disposable nappies².
A simple chemistry lesson will explain: We are all made up of chemicals, so not all chemicals are harmful. Some chemicals can be extremely toxic to us but are also essential to our make up e.g. common table salt (or sodium chloride) is essential to us, however if a baby swallows a small teaspoonful, this could be fatal. SAP on the other hand while not essential, is non-toxic even if an entire pad is consumed (which is not physically possible).
What about Weenees ecoPads and the environment?
Weenees ecoPads provide a positive contribution towards compost. The biodegradable outer cover and inner fluff pulp provide organic matter while the SAP provides the ‘water storing granules’. You will find SAP in the more expensive potting mixes at your local plant nursery¹, so by adding Weenees ecoPads to your home compost (or worm farm) you are adding your own free supply of ‘water storing granules’. Your baby’s urine (or Urea, yet another ‘chemical’) provides Nitrogen, an essential element for growing plants.
If you are not interested in home composting, then alternatives are commercial composting, worm farming or disposal through the sewage system where Weenees ecoPads become part of the bio-solids, which are often then composted into soil conditioners for use in the agricultural industry. All methods of ‘recycling’ Weenees ecoPads are practical and economical. Weenees ecoPads are the only eco-nappy in the world which will compost completely in one compost cycle³.
WEENEES PANTS
How many do I need?
Three pairs, is a minimum: one on, one in the wash and one ready to wear. Weenees pants don't need changing at every nappy change: just take out the wet ecoPad and replace with a new one. They don’t take long to wash and dry and can tumble dried. A few more pairs will take the pressure off the need to wash the pants as regularly, so it is up to you how many pairs you have in the end (and they do come in many different colours!). Remember that newborn babies have very liquid bowels in the first few months and will need more frequent changes.
WEENEES ECOPADS FOR PEOPLE WITH INCONTINENCE
What is the capacity of the pads?
The pads come in two sizes: Small have a capcity of 200ml, Medium have a capacity of 400ml. The Small pad can be used as a booster pad, or Medium pads can be doubled up.
¹Allied Colloids - Technical and Processing Data, Salsorb 90 Superabsorbent Polymer for use in Baby Diapers and Personal Care. Yates - Waterwise Water Storing Crystals data sheet
² Contemporary Pediatrics – Supplement to March 2000 : Disposable diapers – Effective and Safe
³ Report by Dr Martin Line: Senior Lecturer in agricultural Microbiology, University of Tasmania – results appear on this site www.ecoware.ie on our Enviromental Information page.