Derbyshire: Real nappies milestone for county

Derbyshire County Council is celebrating its 2000th real nappy cashback claimant.

Hannah Elliott is the 2000th parent to claim the £25 cashback incentive under the scheme. New parents can claim £25 cashback from Derbyshire County Council when they spend more than £50 on real nappies.

The cashback scheme was set up in 2005 to encourage parents to switch to real nappies. In Derbyshire, 100,000 nappies are thrown away every day. That’s 10,000 tonnes a year, which costs Derbyshire council tax payers £1million each year in landfill costs on nappies alone.

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Washable nappies are easier to use than you might think. They come with easy to use fastenings and fun designs. They’re easy to wash – no need to soak or pre wash and they’re quick-drying. They are designed to be used with a liner that can be flushed away or reusable liners that can be washed and used again. And savings of at least £500 could be made per child compared with the cost of using disposable nappies.

New parents are invited to try real nappies by borrowing a kit from the county council. The kit costs £5 plus a refundable £50 deposit and can be loaned for up to two weeks.

Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for Jobs, Economy and Transport, Councillor Joan Dixon, said: “It currently costs Derbyshire council tax payers £17million in landfill charges and anything we can do to reduce this bill and the effect on the environment is a good thing. Real nappies not only save parents money, but using them means less disposable nappies end up in landfill.”

Mum Hannah, who’s all for real nappies said: “I’m so pleased I decided to give real nappies a try. The quality is amazing and we’re finding they’re much more absorbent and they don’t leak like the disposable nappies did. It’s so much cheaper than using disposables – I won’t be switching back.”

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For more information, or if you would like to take advantage of the county council’s cashback scheme or would like to borrow a real nappy kit, visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/realnappies, email [email protected] or call 01629 538532.