News in brief

Parents in East Sussex and will be offered cut-price washable nappies at a series of events in early January 2004.

East Sussex county council and Brighton & Hove city council's Real Nappy Network is aiming to prove that modern washable nappies are not the complicated, time-consuming objects they used to be. The project has been funded by DEFRA and Viridor tax credits working with Enventure.

At the events in Eastbourne, Hove and Hastings, half-price vouchers will be available for starter packs and three winners will get a complete set of nappies for free.

East Sussex county council said: “Promoting the use of washable nappies now plays a key role in the local authorities' waste awareness strategies as disposable nappies make up 50% of waste from a household with just one baby.”

It added: “There are health and cost benefits to using washable nappies. Parents can have more direct control over the chemical environment that their baby's skin is coming into contact with… Parents can save themselves literally hundreds of pounds over the time their child is in nappies.”

Yorkshire farm expands compost activities

Yorkshire farm and green waste recycler WJ & LA Mackintosh has won a 40,000 grant from Business Link South Yorkshire.

The on-farm composter is based near Doncaster will use the grant to partially fund a new 120,000 Jenz shredder from West Con as part of diversification of their farm. Compost will be used as an inorganic fertilizer on the farmland.

“The grant has contributed a significant amount towards the new shredder, which should enable us to increase our business by up to 50% in the next 3 years,” said William Mackintosh.

Mr Mackintosh added: “We already provide recycling services to local authorities and businesses across a wide area of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and the new shredder will allow us to work more closely with other recyclers to provide a central point for environmentally-friendly shredding in the area.”

Flintshire finds an alternative use for old Christmas trees

Flintshire county council has called on residents in North Wales to donate old Christmas trees to help prevent sand dune erosion.

Many councils will be offering a recycling and composting service for Christmas trees once this year's festive season is over. But Flintshire countryside rangers in the north of the county have found Christmas trees to be ideal for trapping sand to prevent the wind from blowing away dunes at Gronant and Talacre.

Ranger Phil Hodges told residents: “This year, give your tree to us. Take off all the decorations and bring it to one of our collection points, and you'll be doing your bit to look after countryside and wildlife in Flintshire.”