Cotton on to Cotton Nappies
The Cotton on to Cotton Nappies project is one of the first of its kind in the country. It aims to encourage parents to use cotton instead of disposable nappies.
The scheme, run by ContinYou in conjunction with Warwickshire County Council and the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, North Warwickshire, could reduce the amount of disposable nappies going to Warwickshire landfill sites by 2,250 tonnes.
Cotton on to Cotton Nappies is based at George Eliot Hospital maternity unit because there is evidence that if parents are introduced to cotton nappies in hospital then they are more likely to continue to use them when they return home.
'We are all really excited about the project here in the maternity unit because the nappies are a real breakthrough' said Kay Hawker, Head of Midwifery for the hospital. 'It's important that our new parents realise that these nappies are just as effective and user-friendly as disposable ones,'
About 20 staff at the maternity unit have been trained so far in using the new nappies, and there are hopes that it will be rolled out to other hospitals in the County.
The Community Recycling and Economic Development (CRED) programme has funded the project. The CRED programme, managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and nine consortium partners, distributes National Lottery money on behalf of the Big Lottery Fund under its Transforming Waste funding programme.
As well as the environmental benefit, cotton nappies are also a good economic choice for parents: the average total cost of disposable nappies for one baby, from birth to potty, is about £1000, compared to £250 for cotton nappies. And they can be used for the next baby.
Washed and Delivered
'Washed and Delivered' is a laundry service to launder cotton nappies, which are being used in our project Cotton on to Cotton Nappies at the Maternity Unit at The George Eliot Hospital. The laundry service is collecting and delivering nappies from the hospital and providing a 365-day service. This service is also available to parents in the local community who wish to use real nappies but don’t want to wash nappies at home. There are two ways in which parents can use this service, either by buying real nappies and sending these to the laundry; or by renting nappies from the laundry and thus not having to make an initial outlay.
The laundry will help to reduce disposable nappies going to Warwickshire landfill sites by encouraging parents to use cotton nappies.
For more information about these projects, email Kulvinder Thind, or call 07887 878333.