The benefits of cloth nappies were the topic of discussion last Friday by parents at Hackney Central Library, where changing demonstrations, £70 council vouchers and friendly conversation were also all on offer.
The Hackney Nappy Network, an organisation set up by the council to support parents of young children in the borough, hosted an event to promote reusable nappies and raise awareness of the damage of single-use equivalents to the environment.
Seeking to combat the huge amounts of plastic disposable nappies that end up in landfill, 3.6 billion in the UK last year alone, proponents of the scheme argue that, as well as helping the planet, cloth alternatives help council finances, too.
“We need to provide parents with the information they need to make an informed choice and to show them how simple reusable products can be”
Esther Bolter, who runs the organisation, said: “It’s in [the council’s] interest to promote reusable nappies because of their cost and waste savings, but also residents’.”
All Greater London local authorities are technically eligible for a voucher scheme that allows parents to claim back the cost of cloth nappies, but Hackney is in the minority that actually offer the grant to residents. “They were really the forerunners,” Bolter said. “We’re the only borough that has a role like mine.”
In recent years, disposable “eco” options have begun to appear in shops, promising an environmentally friendly alternative that saves parents the hassle of washing large quantities of dirty nappies, but Bolter is sceptical.
“In all North London boroughs, our general waste goes to the Edmonton Incinerator, so whether a nappy is biodegradable or not, that’s going to happen,” said Bolter. “They’re going to be incinerated.”
The Hackney Nappy Network has been running the events since its inception eight years ago and has found the community to be receptive. “We need to provide parents with the information they need to make an informed choice and to show them how simple reusable products can be,” said Bolter.
Their next event is being held in Hackney Central Library in collaboration with Wrap a Hug Sling to teach parents about baby-wearing as well as cloth nappies on Friday 17 April.
Livio Reichenbach is a student Journalist at City, St. George's writing for the Hackney Post