'Reusable nappies aren't as smelly as people think'

An eco-conscious mother who uses reusable nappies has insisted they are "not as smelly or as hard work as people think".

Elizabeth Kane, from Liverpool, said she was motivated to start using washable cloth nappies during the coronavirus pandemic as she was worried about the amount of waste going to landfill.

Now she has another baby, her third, and she is once again using reusable nappies - the same nappies worn by friends and siblings - and is urging others to give them a go.

The Reusable Nappies & Wipes Project has funding to support 30 families to trial reusable options through a "nappy library" and learn more about low-waste parenting.

The project, led by a community interest company called Sustainable Starts, has been granted funding from the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority for the trial.

The company's Anna Martin estimated that if every baby under two in the Liverpool City Region used one reusable nappy a day, more than 2,000 tonnes of waste could be prevented annually.

The group also addresses common barriers to using reusable nappies, such as the initial cost and confusion over different types, with families receiving support through antenatal workshops, "nappuccino" information sessions, and an online portal available 24/7.

The nappy library came from Anna's own experience when she had her first child and used cloth nappies to save money - as well as the climate.

After the initial outlay on a set of nappies, she said she must have saved hundreds of pounds.

Elizabeth first tried the reusable nappies during Covid restrictions when she spent a lot more time at home.

She believes this slower pace of life meant she had time to get used to using the pack of reusable nappies given to her by her friend Maria Olmos.

"It also meant I didn't have to go to the shops so often or visit the bins so much, at I time when we were supposed to be social distancing," she said.

Elizabeth said: "This is the world our children are going to live in for the rest of their lives. So those nappies are going to outlive them. They're going to outlive me."

However, she admitted there were often times when she found herself the only parent at a baby group who is using reusable nappies.

Maria said she was using disposable ones for her second baby because she "felt guilty" about how much waste was generated by wipes and nappies.

They are cheap and "the fact you don't have to carry them around with you when you're out" made them more appealing to her second time round, she said.

Elizabeth said much more could be done to support parents who wanted to use reusable nappies such as free samples in hospital and children's centres while Anna said councils, governments and nappy manufacturers could be doing more to consider the environmental impact of disposable nappies and wipes.

Anna added while "there is a little bit more work" to using cloth nappies but even just using them when you're at home can make "a big difference".

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