No Nasty Nappies for London Babies (Real Nappy Week starts 7 April)

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 31st Mar 2003

You are never too young to start playing your part in helping to protect the environment, says London Euro-MP Sarah Ludford.

European laws to cut the production of global warming gases are putting pressure on the Government to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill sites. Disposable nappies have become a major problem, especially as they can take more than 200 years to decompose, so every landfilled disposable nappy is still out there.

Over 8 million nappies a day are sent to landfill every day in the UK.

However the new range of washable cloth nappies bears no resemblance to the old towelling style, since they are now available in a range of shaped and fitted alternatives with Velcro or snap fastenings.

Sarah Ludford commented: "Clearly calls for consumers to be more environmentally conscious in their purchases must be backed up with convenient environmentally-friendly products.

"Real Nappy week is a perfect opportunity for parents to make the switch away from disposable nappies and help secure a better environment for their children."

Real Nappy Week runs from 7-13 April 2003, and focuses attention on the environmental impact of disposable nappies.

The Real Nappy Association is launching a new telephone service for parents interested in using real nappies (01983 401959). This provides contact details of real nappy suppliers and groups in each area.

For further information go to www.wen.org.uk/nappies/nappies.htm or www.realnappy.com