A Complete Guide to Reusable Nappies Council Incentive Schemes

Council Incentive Schemes

With Reusable Nappy Week fast approaching many new parents and parents to be will hear about reusable nappies for the first time. The initial outlay can appear daunting, but many local authorities are offering reusable nappy council incentive schemes to help encourage more parents to make the switch to cloth nappies.

It costs councils approximately £77 million to to process the waste from single use nappies annually. The benefits to local authorities are clear, and the incentives can help parents with the initial outlay with cloth nappies. There are several different council incentive schemes running throughout the different authorities, but it’s not always clear what, if anything, is on offer. This guide will run through the main schemes and which local councils offer help. 

Cloth nappies hire kits

These are a great way to ‘try before you buy’. Usually made up of a mixture of brands and types of nappies (from two parters to all-in-ones and all-in-twos, find out more about cloth nappy jargon HERE). This will give you a good idea of what is involved with using cloth nappies and if there is a particular type that you are drawn to. Newborn hire kits are also sometimes available – these are a great idea if you are looking to bridge the gap between newborn and birth-to-potty nappies. 

Councils offering hire kits: 

• Belfast City Council– Offer a free two week hire kit (and a £30 cashback scheme on purchase of £50 of nappies)

• Berkshire– Free Trial Pack (or £30 cash back)

• Devon- Free trial kit 

• Gloucestershire – one month free loan (and £30 voucher or discounted starter kit) 

• Harrow– Free Nappy Hire scheme

• Hounslow – Free Nappy Starter pack

• Oxfordshire– Reusable Nappy loan scheme

• Leicestershire– Reusable Nappy loan scheme

• Wiltshire – Free one-months trial kit loan scheme

Starter kits

These can be free or heavily discounted depending on your region. They will usually include selection of brands to help you get started, and often have enough nappies for a days worth of changes. Another good introduction to using cloth nappies. 

Councils offering trial kits: 

• Bradford-Free reusable nappy kit (worth £45)

• Gwynedd- Free reusable nappy trial pack (or a £30 voucher for the purchase of reusable nappies)

• Edinburgh – Reusable nappy starter kit through Changeworks

• Hertfordshire– Free Starter Kit worth over £100 (or £50 cash back)

• Leeds– Free Nappy Starter pack (or £30 cash-back)

• Southwark– Free Nappy Starter Pack

• Stevenage– Free Nappy Starter Kit worth over £100 (or £50 cash back on the purchase of reusable nappies)

• Three Rivers- Free Nappy Starter Kit (or £50 cash back)

• Wakefield– Free Nappy Starter Pack

Vouchers and cash back.

Many councils now offer vouchers to be used against a reusable nappy purchase or cash-back schemes. Here at Babipur we accept all council vouchers including Real Nappies For London vouchers. These schemes offer you the best flexibility, allowing you to choose the nappies that you want to try. We can help you with any questions you may have and offer guidance on the right choices for you and your baby. 

Real Nappies For London vouchers

Real Nappies for London is the biggest voucher scheme, with parents in participating boroughs getting up to £54.15 voucher to use on their reusable nappy purchase. Babipur are a registered supplier for Real Nappies for London, and you can order online – follow the link >here< to redeem your voucher! If you need advice before you order, our fantastic customer service team are fully trained in all things cloth – just give them a call on 01766 770644 , or email hello@babipur.co.uk

Participating boroughs in the Real Nappies for London scheme are: 

Bexley	£40.00
Camden	£54.15
Hackney	£54.15
Haringey	£54.15
Islington	£54.15
Lambeth	£40.00
Waltham Forest	£54.15

Other Councils offering vouchers or cash-back incentives: 

• Barnet–  £54.15 cash back

• Belfast City Council– £30 cash back on a £50 purchase of reusable nappies (and free two week trial)

• Berkshire–£30 cash back ( or Free Trial Pack)

• Bournemouth- £30 cash back

• Bracknell Forest– £30 cash back 

• Central Bedfordshire– £25 cash back on reusable nappy purchases of £50 +

• Christchurch- £30 cash back

• Denbighshire-  £75 voucher  

• Derbyshire– £25 cash back when you spend £50 on reusable nappies

• Dorset– cash back voucher

• Dudley– £30 cash back when you spend £50 on reusable nappies or accessories

• Flintshire– £75 voucher

• Gloucestershire– £30 cash back

• Gwynedd-  £30 voucher for the purchase of reusable nappies (or free trial pack)

• Leeds– £30 cash back (Free Nappy Starter pack)

• Luton– £40 cash back on reusable nappy purchases of £50 +

• Oldham – £30 voucher

• Pembrokeshire- £30 cash back when you spend £50 +, or £60 cash back when you spend £150 or more on reusable nappies

• Powys– £100 cash back

• Stevenage- £50 cash back on the purchase of reusable nappies (or a Free Nappy Starter Kit)

• Swansea– £100 cash back 

• Sutton- £35 cash back 

• Three Rivers- £50 vouchers (or a Free Nappy Starter Kit)

• Torfaen–  £30 voucher

• Walsall – £30 cash back when you spend £50 + on reusable nappies

• Watford– £50 cash back when you purchase reusable nappies

If you can’t find your local authority listed it’s always worth checking their website – with more environmental awareness, many councils are starting to give more thought to the benefits of real nappies. If your council doesn’t support any reusable nappy incentive schemes at the moment then think about sending them an email to register your interest!

Shop reusable nappies >HERE< and don’t forget to check the blog for lots more information and advice on real nappies.