Babies will be 'Stroud and Proud' in their free reusable nappies!

Every new-born baby in the Stroud district will be able to look 'Stroud and Proud' thanks to an initiative that will give their parents a free reusable nappy.

Reusable, or 'real', nappies dramatically reduce waste, and can save parents over £1,000 before their child is potty-trained.

Every new-born baby in the district will be given a reusable bespoke designed 'Stroud and Proud' unisex nappy. The free nappies will be given out by community midwives until November next year, or until supplies run out. Parents will also be given information on how to apply for £30 cash back when buying more reusable nappies.

The initiative is jointly funded by Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council, who have supported the Gloucestershire Real Nappy Project (GRNP) since 2003.

Every day in Gloucestershire around 80,000 disposable nappies are thrown away, which costs the county council nearly £900,000 per year to send to landfill.

Disposables make up around 4% of the total waste stream, and it is estimated that disposable nappies can take up to 500 years to rot away.

Cllr Simon Pickering, Chair of Stroud District Council's environment committee, said: "When we were putting the new waste and recycling service plans together, we knew we wanted to do something to help and support families that have children in nappies, as disposables not only produce a lot of waste, but cost a lot of money to buy. We want to give Stroud parents the option of trying reusable nappies. By giving them a free one to try, they can at least have a go and see what they are like.

"Reusable nappies are not what they were 20 years ago. I know, when my children were babies we used the old Terry Towelling nappies for both our children, now 21 and 22-years-old, because they were cheaper.  These modern versions are brilliant, no messing around with folding and pins. They are so simple to use and clean, and are very comfortable for the baby - we think our Stroud and Proud ones look rather nice too."

Uptake of reusable nappies is already higher in the Stroud district compared to any other area of Gloucestershire, however the majority of parents still choose to use disposable nappies exclusively.

Kirstie Clarke, outreach worker for the Gloucestershire Real Nappies Project, said: "Parents choose real nappies for a variety of reasons, cost savings and reducing waste being the main two. All the mums and dads we speak to are really surprised how good modern real cloth nappies are, and how easy they are to use and wash. The GRNP is on hand to help and support parents who make the choice to switch to reusable nappies for their children."

The Stroud and Proud nappy was designed by Stroud artist Anne Haworth. The nappy comes with a liner that can be removed and machine washed at 40-60 degrees. There is no need to soak, and they can be line or tumble dried. The whole nappy itself can also be put in the wash.

The Gloucestershire Real Nappy Project holds a 'Nappuccino' on the first Tuesday of every month at Beeches Green Health Centre in Stroud from 10am - 11.30am. This is an informal drop in for mums and dads to have a coffee, a chat, and see other examples of real nappies.

More information about the cashback voucher, dates for Nappucinos and the GRNP can be found at http://www.recycleforgloucestershire.com/real-nappies

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