Reducing Single-Use Nappy Waste

Objectives

The UK disposes of around 3 billion disposable nappies each year, representing an estimated 2-3% of all household waste, according to WRAP. For each child going full-time in reusable nappies, around 5,000 single-use nappies can be avoided.

Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) is keen to reduce the tonnage of nappy waste sent for disposal every year and this is done through a practical on-the-ground project to encourage behaviour change amongst parents and raise awareness of the benefits amongst health professionals and others.

Approach

This is one of Resource Futures’ most established projects. Our focus is on the following key messages and activities:

• Coordinating a money-back incentive scheme (£30 voucher) to encourage parents to switch to real nappies, administered from our Bristol office.
• Provision of knowledgeable, dedicated staff, who explain the environmental and financial benefits: parents can typically save up to £1,000 during the time their child is in nappies.
• Impartial advice on the wide range of cloth nappies currently available on the market.
• Help and advice to enable parents to choose the best nappies for their situation by phone, via e-mail and in person
• A free troubleshooting service and help to parents start out.
• Ability for people to try real nappies before buying, via well stocked ‘loan kits’.
• Building strong links with health care professionals such as midwives and with baby group organisers.
• Dissemination of publicity across the County through printed materials, social media and via events.
• Lively videos, posts and information are shared on the Glos Nappies Facebook page and on Instagram, while the Glos Nappies Facebook Group exists as a discussion forum and a marketplace where second-hand nappies can be bought and sold.

Outcomes

In 2021-2022, engagement work resulted in:

•  316 incentive vouchers sent out with 297 redeemed, giving a redemption rate of 94%
• Facebook posts with a total reach of 136,769

The team undertake an online survey twice a year to follow up with those who have redeemed an incentive voucher. Results from the December 2021 survey showed:

• 85% of respondents had recommended real nappies to a friend or relative.
• 96% gave environmental concerns as the main motivator for using real nappies.

“This is such a great incentive! I was very pleased that I could also use the voucher on second-hand nappies to make it even better environmentally.”
Gloucestershire parent

In addition, a new survey found that 62% of parents said starting with reusable nappies had made them think about other ways they could reduce waste and/or live a greener lifestyle.

Based on the ongoing success of this work, Resource Futures has been awarded a further contract to continue with the Real Nappy Project in Gloucestershire until 2026. New initiatives over the next two years will include:

• A focus on pre-loved nappy sales to help close the loop.
• Work with charity shops to encourage sales of preloved nappies.
• Samples of real nappies given away in baby changing rooms.
• Work with nurseries and children’s charities.
• Wider promotion of the project’s ‘loan kit’ scheme (nappy library)

‘Stroud & Proud’ project

During Stroud District Council’s service change in 2016/17 we received additional funding to support the change, which included reductions to residual waste capacity. This enabled Resource Futures to run an entirely new and exciting initiative which was comprised of:

• The design and manufacture of custom-made, locally designed, ‘Stroud & Proud’ cloth nappies.
• 1,000 reusable nappies given away free – one to every baby born in the district in that year.
• Support from local midwives to distribute and promote the initiative.
• Monthly ‘Nappuccino’ sessions for recipients of the nappies.
• Social media advertising to support the initiative.