REUSABLE NAPPY WEEK
Reusable Nappy Week, taking place from 24th – 30th April 2023, aims to raise awareness about the benefits of reusable nappies. The week will include events, special offers and fun educational activities which will be held across London and online.
The week of action will advocate the positive impact reusable nappies can have on the environment and for cost-savings.
Disposable nappies contribute significantly to the waste and climate crisis in the UK, with an estimated 3.6 billion nappies being thrown away in the UK each year, costing Local Authorities over £140 million per annum for collection and disposal. By choosing to use reusable nappies, parents and carers can reduce their carbon footprint making a positive impact on the environment.
REUSABLE NAPPIES – BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
A new Nappy Life Cycle Analysis published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra March 2023), confirms that reusable nappies are better for the environment than single-use disposable nappies. The report revealed that across their lifecycle, reusable nappies have a 25% lower carbon footprint than single-use nappies. A figure that can be improved even further depending on how parents decide to wash and dry the products and the use of renewable electricity. If every child in nappies in the UK were to use reusable nappies from single-use nappies, the carbon saving would be the equivalent of 700 million car miles – that’s 3,000 trips to the moon. The report also revealed that the environmental impact of the end-of-life disposal of a single-use nappy is nine times higher than for that of a reusable nappy.
REUSABLE NAPPIES – BETTER FOR YOUR PURSE
Using reusable nappies full time can save you on average £195 per year. Further savings can be made if the same nappies are used on a second child.
NAPPY VOUCHER SCHEME
Real Nappies for London, a waste prevention project administered by Wen (Women’s Environmental Network), runs a reusable nappy voucher scheme offering parents and foster carers with a baby under 18 months, and expecting a baby, with a reusable nappy voucher worth up to £70 which is redeemable for a pack of reusable nappies or towards a trial washable nappy laundry service. The scheme currently operates in nine London Boroughs – Bexley, Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Waltham Forest and Westminster City Council.
The voucher scheme can save households with a baby in nappies up to £324 per year. These savings can be doubled if the nappies are continued to be used on subsequent children.
Find out how to get involved with Reusable Nappy Week here
Find out more about Real Nappies for London and our Green Baby project.
