Warwickshire News Mine

Anna Leeksma, 29, runs her own business, The Cotton Nappy Company, and her efforts to encourage parents to start using alternatives to disposables are backed by both Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council.

The county council offers £25 cash back to parents who use washables nappies.

In a household with a baby, nappies make up about half the volume of the weekly bin1. This gives families the opportunity to cut their waste in half by using washable nappies2.  According to Anna, a midwife with two young children, parents can save up to £900 per baby when using washable nappies compared to using disposables from birth to potty.

When Anna’s first baby was born just over five years ago she began to research washable nappies and was discouraged and confused by the overwhelming amount of information and lack of independent advice available. After testing numerous brands and types of nappies, she found a selection of modern nappies that work well and could be tailored to different needs and budgets.

She is now running informal coffee mornings called ‘Nappuccinos’ for parents to find out more about the various nappies available. Parents can benefit with up to 15% discount off nappies at these events and will be given a claim form to obtain their £25 cash-back from WCC. And if you aren’t convinced, Anna offers a free nappy trial to make sure you get the right nappy for your baby.

She is also looking into starting up a laundry service and is approaching nurseries to take up washable nappies and reduce their nappy costs.

Meanwhile, Leamington Spa based mum of two Sarah Bennett established The Used Nappy Company last year and http://www.usednappies.co.uk is now the number 1 site in the UK for second-hand cloth nappies, with over 2,500 customers from 18 countries around the world.

Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “It’s great to see local businesses growing and supporting the use of real nappies. Using washable nappies saves money, is kind to babies’ skin and will greatly reduce household waste and environmental impact. Real nappies can be used on subsequent children or can be resold; recycling and reselling real nappies is doubly eco-friendly.

“Here in Warwickshire the county council runs a great scheme offering incentives to parents who want to use reusable nappies. In fact if every parent in Warwickshire already signed up to the scheme used them from birth to potty it would save the county 2,142 tonnes in waste over those who use disposable nappies.”

Approximately 8 million disposable nappies are thrown away every day in the UK, with the majority of these ending up in landfill.

This week from April 21-27 is National Real Nappy Week and more information is available at http://www.realnappycampaign.com

Details on The Cotton Nappy Company are available on 01926 740871; http://www.thecottonnappycompany.co.uk, or by emailing anna@thecottonnappycompany.co.uk

To claim your £25 cash back on purchases of cotton nappies either pick up a form from Anna when you make a purchase, or contact Warwickshire County Council on 01926 412458 or download one at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk.

For anyone already using washable nappies, rather than selling them through The Used Nappy Company once the baby is out of them, there’s now the option to donate second-hand nappies to a very worthwhile cause - The Nzirambi Orphans Talent Development Centre (NOTDEC) in Uganda, formerly known as Dorothy’s Orphans. For more information on how to donate to this cause and make a difference to babies’ lives in Africa visit http://www.usednappies.co.uk

Link to WCC