News
Hertfordshire residents cotton on to real nappies
This feature was added on 19th August 2004
'In Britain, eight million nappies get thrown away each day, adding enormous pressure to landfill sites - which are already near full capacity. And don't forget parts of a disposable nappy can take hundreds of years to biodegrade, so they are far from environmentally friendly. Re-usable nappies use up far less resources and that is why we are encouraging parents to consider using them,' said County Councillor Derrick Ashley, Executive Member for Environment.
As well as helping the environment, parents can also save money by turning their noses up at disposable nappies. On average a baby from birth to potty will get through £700 worth of disposables (that's an average of 4,500 nappies!). In contrast - depending on the choice and combination - a set of 24 re-usable nappies costing just £60 can last a baby for the same period.
Since March, 164 Hertfordshire residents have received £40 cashback towards the cost of buying re-usable nappies or signing up for a regular nappy-laundering service. Cashback is funded by the local authorities in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council through the WasteAware Campaign, with the exception of Broxbourne Borough Council who are not participating in the scheme.
As a result of this scheme and the efforts of those taking part in Hertfordshire, a total of 738,000 disposable nappies have been diverted from landfill - with just 3,936 re-usable nappies being used in their place.
The cashback offer is subject to availability at your local district/borough council.
For more information about re-usable nappies in Hertfordshire you can view the nappies information page. The UK Nappy Line can be contacted on 01983 401959 to find out where re-usable nappies can be purchased locally.