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Notes
Funding:
£150 in January 2004 from Oxfordshire County
Council to buy new nappies and wraps.
£173 in September 2004 from Oxfordshire County Council to buy a
second set of nappies and fund the room hire for a Nappuccino.
Aims:
To increase the number of real nappy users in Wallingford, and therefore
reduce the amount of domestic waste going to landfill.
To increase awareness of the ease of using real nappies, the variety of
different types available, the monetary and environmental savings made
if real nappies are used.
Scheme History:
The scheme was started in the summer of 2003 by one member of the Waste
committee of Sustainable Wallingford. Sustainable Wallingford is a CAG
set up in 2003 by volunteer residents of Wallingford. Initially the scheme
was lending out a set of well-used MotherEase one-size nappies. When these
nappies were needed again by their original owner an application for a
grant was made to Oxfordshire County Council and the £150 received
was used to buy a new set of nappies. It was decided to buy a wide variety
of makes and styles in order to increase borrowers’ awareness –
a system that might work well for one person will not necessarily suit
another. These nappies were primarily sourced from the local Maternity
shop and also, Lollipop Children’s Products who sold nappies at
a discount enabling more nappies to be bought for the set.
The success was phenomenal and in June of this year there was a 12 week
waiting list to borrow the trial. At this point more funding was applied
for from Oxfordshire County Council in order to be able to lend out two
sets of nappies simultaneously.
Scheme:
A bucket of real nappies is on loan to parents for a week. The bucket
contains approximately seven different types of real nappies and also
a selection of different wraps. There are at least 15 real nappies in
each bucket. The bucket also contains a nappy mesh, fleece and paper liners
and tea tree oil, i.e. everything needed to use real nappies. At the beginning
of the week the bucket is delivered by the scheme organiser and an explanation
is given detailing how each nappy system works and the soaking and washing
of the nappies. The parents are then left with a sheet of instructions
for each nappy and a contact phone number in case of any queries during
the week. The bucket is collected at the end of the week and this is an
opportune moment to find out how the parents got on. At this stage they
are given a list of local nappy suppliers and agents and details of the
local Nappy Laundry service.
Promotion:
Leaflets advertising the scheme are left at all local doctors surgeries.
The midwives and Health visitors actively promote the scheme. The scheme
organiser attends all the NHS ParentCraft classes and local NCT antenatal
classes to explain the
scheme and gives a short demonstration of the real nappies available.
She also visits a large number of the local toddler groups and Health
visitor postnatal groups.
On receipt of the second set of funding from Oxfordshire County Council
a Nappuccino was organized in celebration. This achieved local and County-wide
press coverage before and after the event, and also an interview on Radio
Oxford on the morning of the Nappuccino.
Scheme Monitoring:
A simple list is kept of who has borrowed the nappy trial, the dates and
whether or not they will be converting to real nappies as a result of
the trial.
Achievements:
A total of 26 parents have borrowed the trial to date and 19 have definitely
decided to use real nappies as a result of this scheme. A further three
were undecided at the end of the week and four sets were not going to
convert (as at end of September 2004). As a conservative estimate it is
assumed that this has saved nine tonnes of disposable nappies entering
landfill (this is based on the fact that some of the babies were not newborn,
and not all parents would use real nappies 100% of the time).
In terms of raising awareness no evaluation has yet been made. However
as a guide, approximately 75 – 100 mothers have been part of an
antenatal class, postnatal group or toddler group where the nappy trial
has been displayed.
Benefits of the Scheme for partners involved:
Oxfordshire County Council and South Oxfordshire District Council will
have benefited from waste disposal cost savings.
The local nappy agents, maternity shop and nappy laundry service will
have benefited from any of the converted parents buying real nappies to
use on their baby.
The Health Visitors and Midwives are delighted at the increase in real
nappy use, due to the healthier nature of real nappies (this is shown
by the number of antenatal classes and postnatal groups that the scheme
organiser is invited to attend).
Environmental Impact:
The primary aim of the Waste committee of Sustainable Wallingford is to
reduce waste and this project fulfills the criteria in every sense. There
is no environmental impact as a result of the scheme at all.
Future Plans:
An idea that has been talked about, but is not feasible at present due
to the cost, would be to supply every new baby in Wallingford, or born
in Wallingford Maternity Hospital with a real nappy gift pack –
probably a one-size shaped nappy and a wrap, with full instructions on
how to use it, or how to borrow the trial to try a variety of different
types. If they were also given the basic other equipment needed for using
real nappies there would be an even greater incentive to give it a go.
So far, the success of the trial shows that the majority of people who
borrow the trial do convert to using real nappies, so the aim is to get
even more people to borrow the trial.
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