Information Bulletin
04 July 2005
Gilbert Bain Maternity Unit gets Real
Real Nappy Week is over for another year, but NHS Shetland and Shetland Islands Council’s Waste Services are still reminding people of the benefits that real nappies can bring.
Waste Services staff were out and about all last week giving advice to Shetland parents about real nappies and promoting the money back initiative they are providing. They were also asking visitors to their display stands to fill in a questionnaire about real nappies – and at the same time to give themselves the chance to win a prize.
Mary Lisk, Environmental SIC Manager of the Council’s Waste Services, thanked everyone who took part. “We gained some useful information about people’s knowledge, attitudes and experience about using real nappies and, thanks to the generosity of Anderson & Co. (The Shetland Warehouse), Mamma Mia, and Boots, Wendy Laurenson and Sarah Hutcheson both from Lerwick and Carolyn Coutts of Gulberwick will be receiving their prizes in the next day or two.”
The week also celebrated the changing of the Gilbert Bain Maternity Unit to real nappies, the first and currently the only hospital in the UK to stop providing disposables, reducing their waste by 11,000 nappies a year. The Gilbert Bain conversion received national commendation at the National Real Nappy Conference last week in Glasgow. After two weeks of using real nappies, a spokeswoman from the Gilbert Bain said, “the conversion is a great success; the maintenance of the nappies are very straightforward and everybody loves them”.
The real nappy partnership in Shetland urge parents to consider the real nappy option, claiming there are many benefits to be gained. A spokeswoman from the partnership said “the Advertising Standards Agency calculated £600 to be saved on the first child alone – which can be half the cost of using disposables. They are easy to use, coming with flushable liners and washed at normal temperatures. What's more, a baby produces one full bin bag of disposables a week – that’s 52 bags of raw sewage a year. However, the main motivation for using real nappies might not be saving the planet or saving cash, but probably more about loving the feel and look of the modern real nappies”.
More information about this, and other waste prevention issues, can be found at the Waste Service’s website – just go to www.shetland.gov.uk/waste/wasteprevention and follow the links. And remember, there are real nappies displayed at various locations in Shetland including all health centres and the Bruce Hostel and free advice is available from local Health Visitors / Midwives and the Council’s Waste Services at Grantfield (Lerwick 744800).
ENDS
Notes for editors
Real Nappy Week is an annual opportunity, funded by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and coordinated by Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) working with the Real Nappy Network.
The first years campaign in Shetland launched the conversion of the Maternity Unit in the Gilbert Bain hospital, government incentive scheme to reduce waste, nappy libraries in every health centre, and a Shetland information leaflet.
Display stands with information about these issues were at the following locations during the week 20th – 24th June.
Monday 20th - Toll Clock Shopping Centre
Tuesday 21st - Toll Clock Shopping Centre
Wednesday 22nd - Clickimin Leisure Complex
Thursday 23rd - Clickimin Leisure Complex
Friday 24th - Brae Health Centre
Mary Lisk, Shetland Islands Council’s Waste Services Environmental Manager, is available for interview if required – please call 01595 744800.