Nappy News Alert!
By Caroline McGuinness-Brooks, North West Nappy Library
Did you know, we’ve got a Nappy Library in town? That’s right – you heard correctly, a NAPPY LIBRARY!
Cloth nappy culture is making a comeback and Zero Waste North West are ahead of the game when it comes to pushing the circular economy model forward. With support from the National Lottery Community Fund, the Zero Waste Nappy Library offers a variety of cloth nappy kits on hire for families to explore zero waste parenting before committing to upfront costs.
Even the Body Coach, aka P.E teacher for the nation, Joe Wicks is on board! Joe has clothed BOTH his kiddies but surely Joe doesn’t need to save a bob or two like you or me, the average Joe? So why did he and Rosie choose to reuse?
Let’s face it – we’ve all wised up on a lot of things over the years. The days of driving without a seat belt, using plastic bags for every grocery shop or even smoking in hospitals are long gone. Yet all these things required a shift, a change in behaviour, a move away from the status quo towards new ‘norms’.
We could call it a turning tide, a new fad, a fluff bum revolution, but this is nothing new. Our parents used them (albeit they were much simpler versions like terry towels and flats) but they did it and now we’re going back to basics (with some VERY snazzy prints thrown in for good measure of course).
With children estimated to use between 4000 – 6000 disposable nappies from birth to potty, it’s never been more important to start talking shit. Disposable nappies, which require trees and oil (one cup per nappy) to be manufactured into pulp and plastic, take around 500 years to break down in the environment and never really go away. Instead, our planet is overrun by microplastics which can eventually make their way into our waters and food systems. Yuk!
The choice is simple when considering a child will only ever need about 20 reusable nappies, with parents saving anywhere up to £800 per child. On top of this – local councils offer cashback if you decide to start your cloth stash. Win-Win.
The greenwashing of corporate social responsibility makes our choices in life all that harder. When we try to do the right thing, the market gets flooded with new products, slogans or brands that lure us back into the shops, buying stuff we don’t need without consideration of where it all ends up. Zero Waste tackles this linear approach head-on by rethinking production and consumption in ways that promote a healthy planet. Waste is a dirty word. It’s no longer cool to ‘take, waste and dispose of’ so please, get with the times.
Washing machines have come a long way since our parents had to wet pail everything and once you have your cleaning system in place, the only thing in your way is laundry. If we have time to scroll through our social media accounts, we have time to stick a load in the machine. In fact, in the long run, you’ll save time. The time that you’d never get back from Facebook or Instagram.
Forget your reusable coffee cups and your paper straws, the frontline is nappies.
So please, for the love of cloth, wise up and be cool like Joe.
R E A S O N S T O T R Y C L O T H
- Save £££ – it’s a no brainer!
- Help your environment- win-win!
- They are kinder to baby’s bum
- They look super cute!
- They can be used over and over (and over) again!
- Single-use nappies are a bum deal!
- Save trees, use these!
- What’s the worst that can happen? A leak!
- Not complicated, just laundry!
- Part-time is fine!
- Spread the fluff bum love!
- Make Laundry Not Landfill OR Incineration!
