News and events
Press release
A new report commissioned by the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Environment Agency and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) says parents who use washable nappies, wash on a full load, line dry and reuse nappies on a second child can lower the global warming impact by 40%, or some 200kg of carbon dioxide over the two and a half years.
Sustainable Wales have calculated that if all children born in the same year in Wales used real nappies in this way, it would save around 6200 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.*
Sian Dando, spokesperson for the Real Nappy Campaign said: “It’s great this report has clarified the situation for parents about how they can reduce their carbon footprint by using real nappies rather than disposable nappies. They can do this by choosing more energy efficient appliances, not washing above 60°c and tumble drying as little as possible”.
“One impact of disposable nappies that amazingly wasn’t included in the report was the effect they have on our diminishing landfill sights. Some 38,000 tonnes of disposable nappies go into landfill each year, costing Welsh taxpayers around 2 million pounds to dispose of. Disposable nappies in landfill also contribute to alarmingly rising methane levels. Methane is 21 times more powerful at warming the atmosphere than C02 and as such is a potentially dangerous greenhouse gas”, commented Margaret Minhinnick, Director Sustainable Wales.
“The message is clear, providing parents follow simple guidelines, such as washing at 60°c or below and line drying, there can be significant gains for the environment both in reduced greenhouse gases and household waste sent to landfill.” Continued Sian Dando.
The Real Nappy Campaign in Wales encourages the use of washable nappies by providing parents with impartial information and advice on using and buying washable nappies.
For further information visit www.realnappies-wales.org.uk or ring Sian Dando – Real Nappy Development Officer on 0845 456 2477.
Real Facts on Real Nappies
• In Wales 200million disposable nappies are thrown away each year – 400 nappies every minute (3 billion in the UK)
• A potty trained baby will have got through 4,000-6,000 nappies
• Using real nappies can be up to half the cost of disposables – and they can be reused with subsequent children to save even more. Average savings are £500 for the first baby
• Families with one baby could cut their waste in half by choosing to use real nappies
• One baby’s disposable nappies from its nappy years will fill around 156 black rubbish bags
• Energy use: Parents are recommended to wash soiled nappies in full loads at 60oC using low energy rated washing machines, allowing them to dry naturally wherever possible. Washable nappies do not need to be soaked prior to washing and do not need ironing.
Council engages
We are pleased to hear that Pembrokeshire county council, are showing a real commitment to promoting the use of real nappies and have appointed a real nappy coordinator. Please note that the Pembrokeshire real nappy network is not affiliated to the council and is run on a purely voluntary basis. For more information on the councils schemes visit Pembrokeshire county council
Money-off vouchers
Good news! With the last of our SRS funding we have been able to purchase a limited number of £30 vouchers to be spent at www.daisiesonline.co.uk
Contact us to apply for your voucher
(Available to Pembrokeshire residents while stocks last. One voucher per family, must be redeemed by 31/03/09)
We’d love to hear from volunteers!
Our period of SRS (Strategic Recycling Scheme, European Objective One) funding is coming to an end. We will no longer have paid staff to run the project, but hope to continue many of our activities as a team of volunteers, helping other Pembrokeshire parents and carers to recognise the benefits of using washable nappies. We would love to hear from you if you would like to get involved – perhaps by popping a few leaflets in your local doctor’s surgery or shop, or by helping out at a coffee morning, or even by giving a talk to a group of expectant parents! However much or little involvement you’d like, please get in touch.