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8
June 2005
Over 80% of local authorities support Real Nappy Week 2005 Over 390 local authorities are supporting Real Nappy Week 20-26 June 2005. Now in its ninth year, this vital waste prevention campaign has never been more widespread. There are activities planned across Northern England and the rest of the UK, as well as in Ireland, New Zealand and Mexico. Real Nappy Week, 20-26 June 2005, is the annual focus of the real nappy campaign, funded by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) and co-ordinated by Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) working with the Real Nappy Campaign. The aim is to engage with parents nationwide to help them make an informed choice about real nappies and single-use disposables. The Real Nappy Campaign will deliver a national educational programme of activity to raise awareness of washable real nappies, which will be supported throughout the week by regional and local activities across the UK co-ordinated by WEN. WRAP director Phillip Ward says, "Local activities and events have been organised throughout the UK to give parents-to-be and new parents a chance to find out all they need to make an informed choice about what type of nappies to use. Real nappies reduce waste - that's what Real Nappy Week is all about." There are plenty of opportunities for parents to see for themselves what real nappies are really like. There will be nappy roadshows across Cumbria and in Wakefield; a Real Nappy Fair in Sedgefield; stalls and demonstrations in Accrington, Blackburn, Poulton-le-Fylde, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Stockton-on-Tees, Hull, Cramlington and Sheffield; a Waste Not Want Not fun day in Rossendale; a clothie coffee morning in Oldham; ‘Starbuts’ coffee mornings in St Helen’s and Wirral; the launch of a nappy laundry service in Barnsley and a real nappy hospital project in Oldham; a teddy bears’ picnic in Bradford. To find out what is happening in your area visit www.wen.org.uk/rnw/whats_on.htm Local authorities promote real nappy use to reduce the amount of waste going to scarce landfill space. Nearly three billion nappies a year - eight million a day - are thrown away in the UK. “Real nappies put parents in control,” says WEN’s Elizabeth Hartigan. “All nappies have an environmental impact, but by washing nappies at home parents could save waste, save money and help the environment. The only way to reduce the environmental impact of disposables is to use fewer nappies, but that is not a good idea. Simply by adopting a sensible washing routine, parents could reduce the effect their babies’ nappies have on the environment." The
Real Nappy Helpline 0845 850 0606 gives callers details
of their local cloth nappy contacts whether they want to buy them to
wash at home or use a laundry service. For more information on real
nappies visit www.realnappycampaign.com Notes
to editors: Waste: Britain throws away about eight million nappies a day. With a disposal cost to individual local authorities in hundreds of thousands of pounds per year (Nottinghamshire estimates £1 million per year) it is not surprising that nappy schemes now play a key role in local authorities’ waste strategies. Cost: WEN estimates that washing nappies at home could save parents around £500 even taking all the electricity and detergent costs into account. Use the nappies for more children and the savings could be even greater. Hospitals can save money too by using real nappies on wards where disposables incur clinical waste charges. Local authorities save on waste disposal charges. Modern
nappies have advanced considerably over recent years. They
are shaped and fitted and fastened without the need for pins. They come
in a variety of styles and patterns. A biodegradable liner can be used
inside the nappy and this can be removed so that the contents are flushed
down the loo. Nappy washing services make things even easier, collecting
dirty nappies and leaving fresh clean ones in their place. WRAP
(the Waste & Resources Action Programme) is a major UK
programme established to promote resource efficiency. Its particular
focus is on creating stable and efficient markets for recycled materials
and products and removing the barriers to waste minimisation, re-use
and recycling. Part of WRAP’s Waste Minimisation work, the Real Nappy Campaign is an element of the Real Nappy Programme, which is focused on helping parents to make an informed choice about nappies and increasing the visibility of real nappies. Its targets are to convert an additional 155,000 households to real nappy use, and in the process divert 35,000 tonnes per annum of disposable nappy waste from landfill. Information on all of WRAP’s activities is available at www.wrap.org.uk and details of its Recycle Now campaign can be found at www.recyclenow.com. For more information on WEN’s campaigns go to www.wen.org.uk |
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