Nappies
On average a baby from birth to potty can use 4000 to 6000 disposable nappies, costing between £488 and £732. As a nation, the UK deals with the disposal to landfill of nearly 3 billion used nappies every year (8 million a day) at a cost of £40 million.
However, re-usable nappies provide a less expensive option which have the added benefit of being far more environmentally sound.
It takes 1 cup of crude oil to make 1 disposable nappy and most disposables take between 200-500 years to break down. Disposables consume 3.5 times as much energy to make as cotton nappies - that's enough energy to wash a re-usable nappy 400 times.
Parents can either self-launder the nappies or use a laundry service.
Have you read the Environment Agency report on nappies? Please read the response from the Women's Environmental Network which believes it to be seriously flawed. Real Nappy Week is coordinated by Women's Environmental Network working with the Real Nappy Campaign and funded by WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme).
Disposable nappies can constitute up to 50% of the waste from a family with a child wearing nappies. Re-useable nappies are therefore a great way to reduce the waste in your bin which would ultimately end up in landfill.
One of the stumbling blocks to parents deciding to proceed with re-usable nappies is the unfamiliarity with the process in comparison with disposable nappies and the initial larger financial outlay needed to purchase the cotton nappies. Some companies offer loan schemes giving parents a chance to try some of the different types of re-usable nappies on offer.
The UK Real Nappy Campaign (08458 500606 www.realnappycampaign.com) provides advice and details of all your local re-usable nappy contacts whether you want to wash your own or use a local laundry service.
£50 cashback for the purchase of re-useable nappies in Hertfordshire!
In Hertfordshire there is a cashback scheme in operation for the purchase of re-usable nappies or subscription to a nappy laundering service. If you buy your own re-useable nappies or join a nappy laundering scheme, your local District or Borough Council, in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council with reimburse you £50 towards the total cost. NB. Broxbourne Borough Council is not participating in the cashback scheme.
Further details of the scheme are explained in the leaflet, available here, where the cut out coupon can be used to register for the scheme.
If you already have the cashback leaflet, use this link for address details of your District or Borough Council, then post the completed coupon and necessary documents to your local Recycling Officer.