Japan's health ministry tells nurseries to stop sending back dirty diapers

Nurseries across Japan have been advised by the country's health ministry to dispose of used diapers on-site instead of sending them back home with the kids. The decision comes following calls from parents who say that bringing dirty diapers home is burdensome. To help the nurseries, the government will provide them with subsidies to enable effective diaper disposal. Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato said that the measures will include helping them purchase trash cans for the same.

The ministry said the move will also make things easier for the people working at the nurseries as sorting diapers and packing them to send back home is a cumbersome task.

A survey done in 2022 showed that most nurseries don't even know why the diapers are being sent back and have been following the practice as a habit. A survey by Babyjob Inc., an Osaka-based company providing childcare-related services, showed that nearly 40 per cent of 1,461 surveyed municipalities running daycare facilities had been sending back used diapers.

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The reasons behind sending back diapers also varied. Around 43 per cent of respondents said that they were sending back the diapers with children in toder to let the parents know about the child's health condition. Around 30 per cent said they had no special reason for doing this. Around 14 per cent said that disposing of used diapers on-site is troublesome.

However, according to the notice, irrespective of whether nurseries were sending back diapers or not, they need to inform the parents about their child's health, in terms of the number, and status, of the children's feces.

(With inputs from agencies)

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