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Notes
Funding:
Changing Times – Suffolk County Council
Ipswich Real Nappy Network - £12,000 from Suffolk Environment Trust
(landfill tax credits), The Naturesave Trust, county and local councils,
Ipswich Lions.
Aims:
- Reduce nappy waste sent to landfill and at source
- Increase awareness, education, visibility and choice of real nappy
products to parents, adults and children with incontinence, women (sanpro)
- Increase use of real nappies by Suffolk residents, childcare providers
and hospitals
- Increase support given to parents by healthcare professionals
- Encourage and support Suffolk based retailers and businesses to stock
and manufacture real nappies to increase accessibility
- Encourage childcare providers to adopt real nappy policies
- Encourage the use of more sustainable waste management practices
by reducing, reusing and recycling
- Increase the amount/weight of material being reused (washable nappies)
and recycled through second hand nappy exchanges, loan and trial kits,
laundry services, retailers.
Objective Impacts:
- Reduction in Local Authority spending on waste disposal in Suffolk:
- The Ipswich Real Nappy Network has saved local councils over £45,000
in landfill tax credits and disposal costs
- Reduction of household waste in Suffolk:
- The Ipswich Real Nappy Network has diverted over 1200 tonnes of nappy
waste from landfill in the Ipswich area.
Scheme History:
A small group of parents concerned about the environment and the future
of their children and grandchildren set up the Ipswich Real Nappy Network
(IRNN) at the end of 2002 with the objective of reducing waste, recycling
and reusing. Grants were secured from Suffolk County Council, Viridor through
Land Fill Tax Credits and the NatureSave Trust.
Changing Times – set up in April 2002 in response to waste targets
set by the government and pressure from parents and
real nappy retailers.
Scheme:
The Changing Times incentive scheme is run by Suffolk County Council and
promoted, in the Ipswich area, by the IRNN. Parents are offered £30
cash back on purchases of cloth nappies or use of a nappy laundry service.
The Ipswich Credit Union, working in partnership with the County Council
and IRNN, provides a cloth nappy savings scheme for parents to spread the
cost of their nappy purchases.
Promotion:
- Poster Campaigns
- Newsletters
- Baby Fayres
- Leaflet distribution - to health professionals, Clinics and Surgeries,
Day Care Nurseries, Local children & baby retailers,
Libraries, Registry Offices, Hospitals and Baby Changing rooms
- Networking - and participation with Voluntary sector organisations
such as Volunteer Bureaux, Council for Voluntary Services, Suffolk Association
for Voluntary Organisations (SAVO) and Suffolk Acre by giving presentations,
attending meetings and submitting articles for newsletters
- Websites
www.ipswichrealnappynetwork.org.uk
www.suffolkrecycling.org.uk
Scheme Monitoring:
- Waste stream audit comparisons - to calculate tonnage diverted
- Statistics collated on - Events attended, participation rates, where
attendees live, trial kits borrowed, nappies sold, events held, calls
to 0870 number, web site hits, membership, incentive scheme take-up,
information packs sent out
- Evaluation - surveys, questionnaires, feedback questionnaires for
retailers and parents
- Number of retailers and laundry services and creation of new employment
opportunities
- Number of volunteers recruited and jobs created
- Setting standards and quality accreditation.
Achievements:
Ipswich Real Nappy Network - April 2003 to September 2004
Waste diverted = 1,200 tonnes
Savings to local councils = £42,500
Awareness raising events:
Baby Fayre 2004 = 600 attendees, 15 nappy retailers/laundries
Monthly Nappuccinos = 40 adults, 40 children at each event
These figures have been calculated from statistics collected from monitoring
systems.
Benefits of the Scheme for partners involved:
- Increase in retailers and work at home mums
November 2002 – 4 retailers in Ipswich area
September 2004 – 20 + retailers in Ipswich area plus a WAHM nappy
manufacturer
- Increase in uptake of the Changing Times Suffolk County Council incentive
scheme
- Waste disposal cost savings by local and county council
- Increase in number of Ipswich Credit Union members especially families
- Increase in the amount of money families save by using real nappies
and buying from the IRNN’s second hand nappy exchange and budget
nappies and covers
- Increase in the number of babies using real nappies
- Increase in awareness of real nappies by midwives and health visitors
- Increase in the number of childcare providers adopting real nappies
November 2002 – 1 nursery using cloth full time
September 2004 – 6 nurseries using cloth full time in the Ipswich
area
- Increase in volunteering opportunities and employment
November 2002 – 6 committee volunteers
September 2004 – 25 volunteers, 1 part-time staff (Coordinator)
- Chair of IRNN receives Mayors unsung Heroes Award
June 2004 – An award was presented to Rachel Turner by the Mayor
of Ipswich for outstanding work for the community.
- Runner-up National Community Recycling Awards Newcomer of the Year
May 2004 - Sponsored by Marks & Spencer and Resource Publishing
and run by the CRN.
Environmental Impact:
Both Suffolk County Council and the Ipswich Real Nappy Network have environmental
policies.
Practical examples are:
Recycled paper used for promotional literature
Fair Trade or Organic food used for refreshments
Re-use envelopes – re address labels printed
Second hand nappy exchange set up to reuse and recycle nappies
Use public transport and car share where possible.
Future Plans:
To set up a Suffolk wide Real Nappy Network built on the success of the
Ipswich Real Nappy Network. £116,000 support for the project has been
received from CRED with match funding currently being sought.
Through partnership with voluntary (Suffolk ACRE, SAVO and ICVS), private
(nappy retailers) and public (local and health authorities, NHS Trusts)
sectors and overseen by a community focussed steering group, the volunteer
led network will support regional branches making it accessible locally
to parents and disadvantaged groups and create new skills and employment.
Future plans also include opening a shop and drop-in centre in Ipswich for
parents to feed (bottle and breast) and change their baby in relaxing and
peaceful surroundings. Light refreshments will be available and literature
and advice displayed on washable nappies, baby care and related subjects.
The shop, staffed by volunteers, will sell new and second hand nappies and
hire out shelf space to local retailers and WAHMs to provide a range of
nappy products and support local businesses.
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