Notes
Funding:
The scheme offers a cash Incentive of up to £30 funded from Kent
County Council's War on Waste budget.
Other parts of the scheme are funded on an ad-hoc basis within the Waste
Management budget.
An application for funding has been put forward to WRAP .
Aims:
The main objective is to reduce the amount of nappy waste sent to local
landfill sites.
The scheme aims to support and instigate activities to raise awareness
of the benefits of cloth nappies in order that parents have a choice.
It also aims to introduce the scheme to Health Visitors and Midwives.
Scheme History:
The Changing Nappies scheme was launched in 2001, while the East Kent
Hospital’s Nappy Scheme was fully rolled out by June 2004. The experience
and knowledge of The Nappy Lady (Morag Gaherty) went a long way in supporting
the setting up of the hospital scheme. The Scheme is run by the War on
Waste team and supported by management and accounting staff at Waste Management
(within Environment and Economy). Recent additions to the scheme include
setting up the KCNN and redeveloping the scheme literature.
Scheme:
The Scheme is Kent-wide and consists of the following elements:
· An Incentive scheme offering up to £30 discount on cloth
nappy products purchased from a Kent County Council approved supplier;
or Boots vouchers if these goods are sourced from elsewhere.
· On-ward Nappy Scheme (funded by KCC) in all four of East Kent
Hospital Trust’s hospitals. 4,000 terries and 1,000 wraps provided
for each hospital and laundered by East Kent Linen Service, based at the
William Harvey Hospital and collected daily. Parents have laminated information
sheets by their beds. The staff have been trained by the Nappy Promotions
worker in how the scheme runs and how to use the nappies. Ongoing ante-natal
talks ensure staff and patients
are informed. Two hospitals have a policy that cloth nappies are mandatory,
the other two offer a choice.
· KCC supports five Kent Cloth Nappy Network groups. Most KCNN
groups hold monthly meetings and are run by enthusiastic volunteers. Some
of these volunteers also give talks to Health Visitors and at Post/Ante
natal classes.
· Each KCNN group has a representative member who holds the Nappy
Library. This is loaned for a two-week period free of charge, and is supported
by advice and information.
· The scheme is supported by Nappy Agents, who promote the work
of the scheme and offer its Incentives.
· There are various websites and chatgroups that support this work
and act as a link across Kent.
· There is also a quarterly prize draw.
One part-time post is supported by the scheme, plus around ten KCNN volunteers
who are able to claim for events, travel and lending the nappy library.
The following hospitals are involved in the scheme:
Buckland Hospital, Dover; Kent & Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury;
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, Margate; and William Harvey
Hospital, Ashford.
Promotion:
The scheme is promoted in its own right and as part of a wider campaign
through:
· Press releases in local papers for all four hospitals.
· War on Waste’s campaign for waste reduction - using high
profile advertising (local radio, billboards, on public transport etc),
booklets, leaflets, newspapers and mobile exhibition unit which travels
across the county.
· KCNN representatives promote the scheme through their monthly
meetings and regular talks. They use local press to advertise meetings.
· War on Waste team attends local events such as the County Show
and the Caring Parent Show. They also arrange events and activities during
Real Nappy Week.
· KCC employs a Cloth Nappy Promotions worker who actively promotes
the scheme through visiting the East Kent Hospitals and by giving talks
and presentations.
· Approved Agents also promote the scheme by giving out information
and offering parents the opportunity to apply for the Incentive.
· The KCC website also provides information on the scheme.
A new brochure and promotional display boards are about to be launched.
Scheme Monitoring:
Currently, the scheme calculates its success by monitoring the number
of Incentive Claims made per annum (currently around 500). It also seeks
responses from the hospitals on level of take-up of cloth nappies.
Achievements:
· Securing a cloth nappy scheme within a Health Trust.
· New parents and health care professionals have free access to
information and support.
· Creating a network of advocates through the KCNN.
· Making five Nappy Libraries available across the county.
· The scheme helped divert 214,957 tonnes last year; while 582,494
tonnes was landfilled.
· Since the scheme began, it has seen an increase in the number
of Incentives claimed by parents using cloth nappies. During 2003 there
were approximately 400 claims, and in 2004 so far there have been approximately
500 claims. It is believed that there are more parents using cloth nappies
than actually claim the Incentive.
· The scheme has raised the level of awareness of Cloth Nappy issues
as well as the War on Waste campaign issues.
· Positive feedback about the scheme and about cloth – this
is usually verbal (KCNN meetings or at shows), but some written comments
are made too.
Benefits of the Scheme for partners involved:
· KCC has less waste to dispose of and hospitals have less to incinerate
because a small percentage of parents have chosen to use cloth. In 2002/2003
34,763 tonnes of nappy waste were landfilled; a reduction was made in
2003/2004 with 31,967 tonnes being landfilled.
· Agents benefit from being part of an approved group of stockists,
who are connected to KCC’s War on Waste campaign.
· East Kent Hospital Trust is able to offer new parents a choice
for their babies. They have the expertise of the Nappy Promotions Worker
to call upon for delivering talks, information, and organising supplies.
They are a Flagship Trust in Kent and are in a position to take advantage
of this.
· KCNN members are given the opportunity to channel their enthusiasm
towards promoting the use of cloth in a structured and consistent way
to members of their community.
Environmental Impact:
Where possible deliveries of leaflets or nappy stock are made as part
of other activities – e.g. when giving a talk at a hospital, when
driving home from work etc. Some KCNN meetings are held in spaces already
using energy, for example, cafes and community centers.
The scheme aims to introduce washable bags as part of the hospital scheme,
to replace plastic sacks that are discarded.
Future Plans:
· Production of new literature and promotional props for the scheme,
as well as launching a new website for KCNN.
· Depending on a recent application for funding it is planned to
employ two part time staff to actively promote the scheme across Kent.
· To send electronic questionnaires out to all KCC employees via
its intranet, to gauge the awareness and understanding of the scheme.
· To monitor the hospital scheme and address any issues. To expand
the Nappy Scheme to other Hospital Trusts in Kent.
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