An unusual protest saw a group of BABIES descend on Parliament Square yesterday – to raise awareness of the devastating impact of single-use nappies on their future.
The mini revolutionaries accompanied their mums and dads to the demonstration, with the parents waving placards bearing messages such as “Power to the PEE-ple”, “Our future’s not disposable”, and “It’s my planet and I’ll cry if I want to”.
The protest came as new research revealed that 10 million single-use nappies are sent to landfill in the UK every single day – equating to 3.6 billion over the course of a year.
And a whopping 92 per cent of parents are worried about the impact this plastic waste could have on their child's future, according to a poll of 1,500 mums and dads, with children under the age of 10.
In fact, almost half of the parents polled (48 per cent) were more concerned about the impact of plastic waste, than their child’s education or future career prospects.
On learning how many single-use nappies are sent to landfill, or incinerated, each day in the UK, 86 per cent of the parents said the government needs to be doing more to tackle nappy waste.
And 87 per cent said they would have chosen reusable nappies for their baby, if they had been recommended by a midwife or hospital.
Guy Schanschieff, founder of Bambino Mio, which commissioned the research, said: “Single-use nappies are 70 per cent plastic, and with such a huge number being thrown away every day, the future we’re making for the next generation is getting messier by the minute. It’s our responsibility to change things now.”
Elisabeth Whitebread, Head of Purpose at Bambino Mio, added: “Bambino Mio is determined to clear up the mess caused by single-use nappies.
“We’re starting from the bottom up by supporting parents with a sustainable alternative to single-use nappies, which are currently the biggest contributor to household waste for parents with children under two.
“Put simply – nappies are a necessity, but the plastic waste they cause doesn’t have to be.”
Parents who switch to reusable nappies could reduce their carbon footprint by up to 40 per cent, and save up to £700 during their child’s nappy-wearing years.
To find out more about how to support the reusable revolution, and get started on your journey with reusables, visit here.
