Home » Switching to reusable nappies
TotsBots, the UK’s leading reusable nappy brand, has joined forces with the Nappy Alliance to urge UK parents to give reusable nappies a try during Reusable Nappy Week (19-24 April).
With 20% off select reusable nappies and accessories from totsbots.com, My Green Pod Hero TotsBots is offering an incentive for parents to give reusables a try to dramatically cut back on CO2 emissions and the 6.2 million tonnes of waste each year.
Reusable Nappy Week is an annual event organised by the reusable nappy industry with the support of NGOs and local government. It shows parents and caregivers how easy it is to change from disposable nappies and reduce their part in the nearly 3 billion single-use nappies that end up in landfill or incineration in the UK every year.
Now in its 25th year, Reusable Nappy Week will take place 09-25 April 2021, with the theme ‘Choose to Reuse’.
Brands, manufacturers, retailers, cloth nappy libraries and washable nappy laundry services will be involved in events throughout the week, including reusable nappy demonstrations, workshops and information on claiming incentives.
In London, eight local councils currently participate in a voucher incentive scheme run by Real Nappies for London that provides financial assistance to families using reusable nappies for the first time.
Research has shown this to be a cost-effective mechanism with a real impact on public waste disposal budgets: councils save 11 times as much on waste disposal as they spend administering the scheme.
Using the hashtag #PassTheNappy, parents and caregivers are encouraged to pass on no longer needed, good quality reusable nappies to families expecting a baby or with a child in nappies.
Donations are posted on social media to welcome families to the online reusable nappy community, and highlight the environmental and cost-saving benefits of switching to reusable nappies.
The average UK disposable nappy is made up of 61% plastic. According to The Nappy Alliance, single-use nappy usage equates to throwing away 17 plastic bags a day: 6,205 per year, per child.
Parents in the UK throw out approximately 3 million disposable nappies each year, costing local authorities over £60 million per annum for disposal. A discarded disposable nappy travels through the household waste system and is either incinerated or sent to landfill, where it will take more than 300 years to break down.
Disposable nappies are one of the biggest contributors to single-use plastic waste, the worst cause of contamination in recycling and cost councils millions all the while causing havoc to the environment.
The production of disposable nappies has a larger environmental impact than its waste. It takes over 1,500 litres of crude oil to produce enough disposable nappies for a newborn baby until they become potty trained at around 2.5 years old.
That is because the absorbent core of disposable baby nappies is usually made from wood pulp, which is highly water intensive and is a leading source of deforestation and soil depletion.
Disposable nappies use 20 times more land for production of raw materials and require three times more energy to make than reusable nappies.
‘I’m the only person I know who actually enjoys changing nappies! I’ve been using TotsBots nappies for a while and absolutely love them. They are so easy to use – just like a disposable nappy, but with gorgeous designs, soft fabrics and zero guilt!
‘I use the EasyFit nappy (an all-in-one design) during the day and Peanut Wrap (a washable outer shell with an absorbent interior layer) at night, because it can be boosted with separate pads for extra absorbency.
‘There are some great offers on during Reusable Nappy Week so it’s a great time for parents to try switching. You don’t need to do a full swap in one go; buying one or two every now and again and slowly phasing single-use nappies out is a good way to go. Once you’ve tried them I’m sure you won’t want togo back!’
KATIE HILL
Co-founder and editor, My Green Pod
Single-use nappies are a major expense for low-income households: in the UK a family with two children in nappies could spend up to 46% of their child benefit just on single-use nappies.
By making the switch to reusables, families can save a lot of money over the long term.
For an average 2.5 years until a baby is fully potty trained, families can get through approximately 4,000 nappy changes at a cost of £1,000.
The average one-time upfront cost for reusable nappies can be around £300, which means a savings of up to £700 per baby.
Breathable, washable nappies are much less likely to cause nappy rash, eczema, psoriasis, and other skin conditions. Plus, using fabric nappies encourages early potty training.
TotsBots cloth nappies are the only reusable nappy brand to be completely Oeko-Tex 100-certified, meaning there are absolutely no harmful chemicals next to your baby’s delicate skin.
All TotsBots waterproof fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles. On average, two plastic bottles are diverted from landfill with every TotsBots EasyFit nappy.
The Beauty Shortlist’s Mama & Baby Awards is helping parents to choose natural products from ethical brands.
The 2020 Beauty Shortlist Mama & Baby Award winners have been announced!
Subscribe to our newsletter
Weekly ethical news, offers, comps and a free digital mag (quarterly) – what’s not to love?