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Vanuatu has announced plans to ban disposable diapers in a move it says will significantly reduce pollution.
Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu announced the ban at a conference in Port Vila last week, saying plastic cutlery, polystyrene cups, plastic drinks stirrers and types of food packaging would also be outlawed.
He said research showed disposable diapers were the largest single item of household waste in the capital.
"Eliminating this item alone will disproportionately reduce plastic waste," he tweeted.
Vanuatu is one of several Pacific nations severely affected by climate change and prides itself on showing environmental leadership.
Last year it became one of the first countries in the world to ban single-use plastic bags.
The nappy ban, which still needs final approval, is scheduled to begin on Dec 1 this year.
Disposable diapers pose an environmental nuisance as they are lined with non-biodegradable plastic and use the chemical sodium polyacrylate as an absorbent.
The human waste they contain also leaches harmful chemicals into the environment, rather than going through the sewerage system to minimise its impact.
Critics say in addition to being a waste problem, the nappy manufacturing process also contributes to global warming.
However, parents find them far more convenient than old-fashioned cloth nappies, which have to be washed and dried.
