The acclaim came while MPs have been lobbied by the disposable nappy industry, which is keen to see an end to government funding for washable nappy campaigns like Real Nappy Week.
 More than three quarters of local authorities in the UK backed last year's washable nappy campaign |
The campaign aims to encourage parents to use washable nappies, rather than the disposal alternative, in order to cut down on waste going to landfill.
Organisers of the week-long accumulation of events, the Women's Environmental Network, promised an even bigger splash next year. Special 10th anniversary events are being planned throughout the country and around the world for the week of April 24.
Last years' event was sponsored by government-funded WRAP and backed by 80% of the UK's local authorities. The latest campaign saw almost 500 individual events run in 65 counties. Activities were even organised as far afield as New Zealand and Mexico.
WEN co-ordinator Elizabeth Hartigan said: “Real Nappy Week has made an incredible journey – an idea that was brewed up at a kitchen table 10 years ago is now a global movement. And, the nappies have come a long way too – parents can choose from an amazing range of shapes, styles and fabrics, which are easy to use and simple to wash.”
Parliament
Meanwhile, the disposal nappy industry organised a Champagne Tea in Parliament yesterday evening, calling for Defra to bring to a halt the funding of washable nappy campaigns.
The Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacturers' Association (AHPMA), which represents disposable nappy companies including Kimberly-Clark and Procter & Gamble, is arguing that the use of washable nappies does not necessarily cut energy use compared to disposable nappies. The Association is citing the Environment Agency report published this summer (see letsrecycle.com story).
Conservative MP and shadow environment minister Bill Wiggin asked four written Parliamentary questions answered by Defra this week, which called into question the funding of real nappies by WRAP.
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In answering Mr Wiggin's questions, environment minister Ben Bradshaw stated that 94% of households use disposable nappies, and that an estimated 350,000 tonnes of disposable nappies are used each year.
Waste and Resources Action Programme received 2.8 million to run real nappy campaigns for the three years from 2003–06. The aim of the WRAP programme is to convert 155,000 households to re-usable nappies by April 2006, thereby diverting 35,000 tonnes per annum of disposable nappy waste from landfill.
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