5
January 2004
It's
all Change at DEFRA
Radio 2 Presenter,
Janey Lee Grace dropped into Environment Minister, Elliot Morley's office
for a quick nappy change and to announce the dates of Real Nappy Week
2004. Janey's baby, Rocky, modelled a neat little self-fastening cloth
nappy for the occasion. But there was nothing unusual about that - he's
in them all the time.
Since having her third baby in October 2003, Janey is an enthusiastic
convert to cloth nappies. “There is such a wide choice of real
nappies that it can be quite overwhelming. But
once you've finally decided which are right for you, it's not only easy,
it's a pleasure. I never thought I'd hear myself say it, but I actually
love them you'd never catch me saying that about disposables.”
Now in its eighth year, Real Nappy Week is co-ordinated by Women's Environmental
Network (WEN). Local activities are organised all over the UK to raise
awareness of the environmental impacts of nappies and to inform parents
about the convenience of modern cloth nappies and laundry services. With
8 million nappies thrown away every day in the UK, disposable nappies
pose a disproportionate burden on the environment.
Having used real nappies on his own children, Elliot Morley is a firm
supporter of the real nappy campaign. “There are an increasing
number of parents who are interested in using reusable nappies. I welcome
campaigns such as Real Nappy Week which can provide information to parents
about the range of reusable nappies available, many of which are a far
cry from the traditional terry nappies and much more user friendly. Disposable
nappies alone are responsible for up to 4% of total household waste. This
scheme has enormous potential to cut waste and reduce landfill.”
For further information contact Elizabeth Hartigan or Liz Sutton, Women's
Environmental Network, PO Box 30626, London E1 1TZ
Tel: 020 7481 9004 or 0771 886 5009 Email: nappies@wen.org.uk
th th Real Nappy Week 29 March to 4 April 2004
NOTES TO EDITORS
Women's Environmental Network is a registered charity which campaigns
on issues which link women, health and the environment. Always inclined
to break new ground, WEN initiated the Waste Minimisation Act which was
passed in 1998.
Real Nappy Week is the annual focus of the real nappy campaign. In 2003
the Week was supported by over half the UK's local authorities as well
as many MPs, companies and organisations. Local activities are organised
all over the UK to mark the Week and raise awareness of the benefits of
cloth nappies both to consumers and the environment.
Waste
The real nappy campaign and composting have been selected as the two initiatives
to spearhead the government's new waste reduction strategy with a target
to convert an additional 155,000 households to real nappy use by the end
of 2006.
Cost
Home laundered nappies could save parents £500 on the cost of keeping
a baby in nappies. You can kit out your baby in real nappies on the high
street for under £70. The same amount of money will only buy ten
to twelve weeks of disposables. Even taking into account the total cost
of laundering nappies at home (about £50 a year) the savings are
still considerable.
Use
Women's Environmental Network estimates that about 15% of parents now
use real nappies.
Nappy Line 01983 401959
Gives callers details of their local cloth nappy contacts whether they
want to wash their own
or use a laundry service. With over 1,200 retail outlets in the UK and
more than 75 local
nappy sellers along with numerous laundry services and mail order companies,
it has never
been easier to find and use cloth nappies.
More information is available on www.wen.org.uk/rnw |
