Memorandum submitted The Nappy Alliance
(X1)
CONTEXT
The Nappy Alliance has recently been established
by 14 independent providers of real nappies to act as the trade
body for the commercial market of re-usable nappies. The Alliance
has been raising the environmental and financial issues relating
to the use of disposable nappies. Currently the NHS purchase 12
million disposable nappies a year at a cost of £150 million,
this figure excludes waste disposable. In the home disposable
nappies account for 4% of household waste.
WRITTEN EVIDENCE
As the recent Environmental Audit Committee
report, "Greening Government" has heavily indicated,
the procurement practices of government require significant improvement.
Public bodies and authorities such as NHS Trusts, Local Authorities
and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency could all play a more
significant role in reducing the amount of disposable nappies
used, and assist in promoting best practice of reusable nappies.
The majority of nappies are disposed of in landfill
sites, which remains a growing concern for the government in light
of tough EU targets on waste minimisation:
— nearly three billion nappies are
thrown away in the UK every year—eight million nappies a
day;
— the decomposition timescale for the
materials and chemicals currently used in disposables is unknown,
however it is estimated to be hundreds of years;
— landfill sites in themselves are
an excessive use of land, potential sources of water pollution
and the production of methane gas; and
— alternative routes for disposing
of nappies along with other household waste, such as incineration,
also come with environmental problems through the production of
emissions.
Current practice amongst NHS Trusts varies considerably
in terms of prioritising waste minimisation and clinical waste
costs. The Alliance has been collecting such information, specifically
on the use of disposable vs. reusable nappies on maternity wards,
via supportive MPs. We would be happy to share such information
if the committee would find this useful to see a cross section
of policy and practice across the UK.
The issue of disposable nappies has been acknowledged
across Westminster and Whitehall, and in a report on Waste from
the Prime Minster's Strategy Unit the promotion of real nappies
was included as part of its four investment measures to reduce
waste. DEFRA too in it's Waste Implementation Programme outlines
the development of reusable nappy services and support for start-up
nappy laundering services. All welcomed by the Alliance.
Further action is still required to significantly
reduce the contribution that disposable nappies make to filling
landfill sites, and the Alliance would like to put forward the
following suggestions:
— in hospitals—through best practice
policy of using reusable nappies on maternity wards, achieved
though policy guidance from the Department of Health;
— through local authorities funding
and administering reusable nappy initiatives—examples of
successful programmes include the Changing Nappies Scheme run
by Kent County Council; and
— through the policy and practice of
the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency.
21 September 2004
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