Leaders at East Suffolk Council agree to explore reusable nappy vouchers to do ’anything to help a little child's bottoms’

Leaders at a Suffolk council have agreed to explore the introduction of a reusable nappy voucher.

The proposals were initially put forward in a motion during Wednesday's East Suffolk full council meeting by Cllr Jenny Ceresa, who said reusable nappies would be much better for the environment.

Her plans included creating a voucher or starter pack for an expectant parent, a parent, or a foster carer with a baby under 18 months, or under the age of five who have a disability requiring nappies, to help with the upfront costs of buying reusable nappies.

Cllr Ceresa added: "We cannot keep churning through the amount of single-use disposable nappies at the rate we are.

"We have already focused on ditching plastic straws and using recyclable bags but disposable nappies are going unnoticed as well as being one of the most significant contributors to plastic pollution globally."

Across the county, she said, as many as 150 tonnes of nappies go through the recycling centre a year and added adopting the measure would ensure fewer disposable nappies are put into a black bin, which can lead to contamination and incineration.

Although councillors mostly supported the motion, several also raised concerns ranging from lack of detail on its price tag and its convenience for parents.

Cllr Ceresa's initial motion went through two changes during the debate, with Cllrs Jan Candy and Peter Byatt both amending it to ease concerns and ensure urgency.

Cllr Candy said: "We do need to talk about it more and we need to take everybody's point of view into hand, it isn't just financial, it is environmental, it is about convenience, and it is about those who can and cannot.

"It's not a decision that can be taken here and now — we're not kicking it down the road but we are inviting it in to have a more in-depth discussion that everybody can be invited to."

Cllr Ceresa added: "This is something that we can hit the ground running and be the first council in Suffolk to deliver something which is really good.

"Anything to help a little child's bottoms because reusable cause a lot less nappy rash than disposables and you get into the habit of changing them more frequently as well.

"It is beneficial in multiple ways not just the environment, it's also better for the children and if we can offer it, it's a good thing."

The final version of the motion committed the council to explore the viability of the scheme and expanded the eligibility to children under the age of three, or under the age of five who have a disability requiring nappies.

It also committed to encouraging the use of reusable nappies wherever reasonable and looking into how other schemes were being offered by other councils so they could be taken into account at a later date.

This version was agreed upon unanimously.