This week is Real Nappy Week, a national awareness campaign that urges families to switch from disposable to reusable nappies. Such a switch is not only a massive help to the environment, but is also cheaper for parents.

It is estimated that using reusable nappies rather than disposable ones can save families between £100 and £1,000 per year.

Disposable nappies cannot be recycled and around 355,000 tonnes of them are thrown away each year in the UK. As well as putting a strain on the environment, dealing with this waste costs the taxpayer about £32 million annually.

During Real Nappy Week (22nd to 27th April), parents are being encouraged to share their experiences with using cloth nappies and to urge other families to ‘go real’.

Durham County Council’s waste strategy team manager, Victoria Burrell, said, “As well as the financial benefits, swapping to reusable can reduce the amount of nappy waste sent for disposal.”

“Cloth nappies are available in a variety of materials, designs, colours and patterns and can be more comfortable for your baby as they’re made from soft materials like cotton, which is gentle to sensitive skin.”

To celebrate Real Nappy Week, Durham County Council is giving away two real nappy starter packs.

The packs, each worth £70, can be won by going to the Recycle for County Durham Facebook Page and answering a real nappy question. The competition will close on Monday 6th May.

Parents who do use disposable nappies are reminded that they cannot be recycled and that they should therefore be bagged up and put in rubbish bins.

You can learn more about real nappies by visiting http://www.durham.gov.uk/realnappies or https://www.growupgreen.co.uk/.

You can follow the Real Nappy Week Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/RealNappyWeekOfficial.

(This article’s featured image is courtesy of Ossi Mauno, from Wikipedia Creative Commons.)


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