Browse Sections

• Education
• Business
• Blog
• Special reports

Now you can recycle disposable nappies under council scheme

6/ 5/2008

A Cheetham Hill mother is encouraging other parents to take advantage of a free trial of environmentally friendly nappies.

Manchester City Council is working in partnership with Cotton Tails, which provides recyclable cotton nappies in an effort to stop disposable plastic products being sent to landfill sites.

Any parents taking up the month-long trial, which has been available through the City Council since 2004, will have freshly washed nappies delivered to their door every week, while soiled nappies will be collected for laundering.

They will also be lent a collection container and biodegradable liners, which can be flushed down the toilet.

Zurina Ali, a mother from Oakfield Street in Cheetham Hill, said: "The main reason I use them is because they're good for the environment, and it means you're not sending disposables to landfill sites.

"But they're also much more comfortable for my child, and she doesn't get any nappy rash at all from them. "

The UK produces about 2.4 billion disposable nappies every year, which must be collected by local authorities and sent to landfill sites.

The Waste Watch organisation says one million tonnes of nappies are thrown away every year, and each child uses 5,850 - weighing as much as an average family car.

The trial is available to all Manchester residents, but there are a limited number of places, and parents taking part must pay a returnable deposit of £30. Anyone interested should contact Environment On Call on 0161 954 9000.