Information on Loughborough

County Council Says Stick With Real Nappies

Posted on 04/07/07
P. Klein

close up of safety pinsBefore you head out to the shops in Loughborough having read the national press about nappies there is one thing you should know - Leicestershire County Council is continuing to encourage the use of real nappies. This follows newspaper reports this week that ministers are claiming they are just as bad for the environment as disposables.

The newspaper reports refer to a research project which claimed that the impact of burying disposable nappies in landfill sites was matched by the energy consumed and greenhouse gases generated by washing reusables or transporting them to laundries.

The main environmental impact of disposables comes when you throw them away " and there is no other option for this type of nappy. For re-usable nappies, however, the impact is only in washing and drying and real nappy users can do something to minimise this impact.

The Council recommends several methods to lessen the impact that real nappy usage has on the environment, including drying nappies naturally, and washing at lower temperatures.

A County Council spokesperson said, The average family would do at least a couple of washes a week anyway, and many real nappy users put their nappies in with their normal wash, after a soak in a product like Napisan, so no extra washing cycles are created.

Washing machines must conform to stringent energy saving standards now, so even since the report was completed, technology has evolved and changes in the design of real nappies has improved their performance.

To find out more about Real Nappies visit www.leics.gov.uk/real_nappies.

Further Information:

The County Councils Top Ten Tips for further reducing the environmental impact of real nappies are:

1. Wash nappies at 60oC and wraps at 40oC " do not boil wash

2. Use A-rated appliances to reduce energy & water consumption

3. Minimise tumble drying " line dry or use an airer

4. Dont use fabric conditioner " it is unnecessary and it reduces absorbency

5. Use eco-friendly washing powders

6. Try potty training early around 2 yrs of age

7. Use real nappies for more than one child

8. Buy second hand nappies where possible

9. Use organic (non-bleached) products

10. Dont iron nappies

There are other benefits of using real nappies too:

Most real nappies do not take hundreds of years to decompose in landfill sites, taking up valuable space and giving off methane gas as they rot.

Real nappies can be cheaper to purchase than disposable nappies and the cost is even cheaper if nappies are used for more than one child. Home laundered nappies could save parents around 500 on the cost of keeping a baby in nappies. (Source: www.wen.org.uk) See http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/environment/waste/real_nappies/cash_back_scheme.htm for a cash back scheme.

Real nappies dont contain the chemicals that disposable nappies do. Disposable nappies are made of super absorbent chemicals, paper pulp, plastics and adhesives, while real nappies are mostly made of natural fabrics. (For example see www.snazzypants.co.uk or www.eco-babes.co.uk)

The national picture:

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP - Established as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is backed by Government funding from Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) continues to support the use of Real Nappies but intends to hand over the work on real nappies to other interested parties during the course of this financial year. One of the key aims of The Real Nappy Campaign was to raise awareness amongst parents of the viability of using real nappies " before handing over to partners, such as local councils to continue to promote. As a result of WRAPs Real Nappy Campaign (2004-2006), 23,000 tonnes of disposable nappies were successfully diverted away from landfill. Currently there is no new funding available for the Real Nappy Campaign by WRAP however, WRAP is currently working with a series of partners to maintain the momentum and take the campaign forward.

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