Recycling in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough

RECAP Events

06/03/2007 - CITY COUNCIL ENCOURAGES PARENTS TO REDUCE WASTE

Cambridge City Council are giving away 100 free kits of washable cloth nappies to new mothers in a bid to reduce the number of disposable nappies that are sent to landfill.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Real Nappy Network (CPRNN) will give the kits away to City residents at demonstrations around the City over the next fortnight. The kits contain everything needed to begin using cloth nappies on a newborn baby. Parents-to-be and those with new babies will be shown how to use the ‘real nappies’ before signing up for a kit. They will be contacted a few weeks later to see how they are getting on with using the nappies.

Using cloth nappies offers significant savings over using disposables. Taking laundry costs into consideration, parents could save a whopping £740 per child – and more if the same nappies are used for subsequent children. Real nappies are also kinder to baby’s skin, and encourage earlier potty training.

The Council is keen for parents to use washable nappies because space in landfill sites is expensive and running out fast.

Waste Strategy Officer Jen Robertson said, “8 million disposable nappies are landfilled in the UK every day. This is a phenomenon of the last 15 years – nappies are a waste stream that we just didn’t have before, because everyone used washable ones. Today, real nappies are easier to use than ever – there are no more safety pins, and you can wash them easily at home in your washing machine. We really want parents to recognise the benefits of using cloth nappies, not only to the environment, but also to their finances. Landfilling of nappies cost taxpayers around £40 million last year.”