According to UCL, in many countries children’s average toilet training age has increased. In the UK this has risen by 32 per cent, from 28 months in the 1950s to 37 months in the 2000s, leading to a rise in the number of disposable nappies each child uses.
Each year 300,000 disposable nappies are sent to landfill globally, according to the researchers, but they said the reason driving the rising age for toilet training is unclear.
In the UK this is a hot topic for debate among nurseries and schools and the wider public about the large number of children who start school (usually at age 48 months) while still wearing nappies.
The Big Toilet Project is run by the UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub, a team of researchers, designers and engineers looking issues of plastic waste.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
