Reusable Nappies
Why choose washable nappies?
Choosing washable nappies diverts waste from landfill and helps reduce the amount
of rubbish produced. Disposable nappies are twice as damaging to the environment as washable nappies.
Did you know:
- One million tonnes of nappies are thrown away every year - that’s 8 million
nappies every day.
- Each child uses a total of 5,850 nappies in their lifetime -
that weighs the same as an average family car!
- One baby fills up 40 black sacks
of rubbish a year.
In Dorset we estimate that 7,500 tonnes of disposable nappies are sent to landfill
every year. This costs the Council Tax payer approximately £440,000 every year!
Did
you know?
- Disposables can take up to 500 years to decompose.
- Disposable
nappies make up around 4% of all household waste.
- Each baby
requires 4,500 nappy changes from birth to potty training.
- Four and a half trees
are destroyed to keep one baby in disposable nappies for 30 months.
- In the UK alone
we discard 63 million disposables each week.
Advantages
of reusable nappies:
Reusable nappies save you money
One pack of disposable nappies per week for two and a half years can cost over £1,000
per child. Even with washing costs, by using reusable nappies it can save you up to £600 and they can
be reused for subsequent children for further savings.
Speeds Toilet Training
It is estimated that babies who wear cotton nappies tend to be toilet trained around
six months earlier than those who wear disposables. It is thought that the link between bladder release
and wetness develops sooner because the nappy does not contain super-absorbent chemicals which keep
the baby artificially dry.
Hygiene
Washable nappies are used with a degradable paper liner to catch the solids. These
can be flushed down the toilet and treated through the sewage system. Nappies can then be pre-soaked
or washed.
Padding
As children learn to walk they tend to fall over. Washable nappies tend to be more
bulky than disposables and provide extra padding for the base of the spine.
For a guide to washable nappies please call Customer Contact at North
Dorset District Council on (01258) 484246 or email recycling@north-dorset.gov.uk.
(Please note the leaflet is available in large print, audio
cassette or CD and can be translated via language line)
|
