Millions of disposable nappies are thrown away each day. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports on a new initiative to encourage parents to try the washable variety

A DOZEN mums are sitting in a circle, watching a real nappy demonstration. It's not like the old days when terry towelling nappies had to be fixed with safety pins; the new washables don't require complicated folding. They're shaped to fit like disposables and are fastened with press-studs or velcro.

"I had no idea they were so nice," says one mum enthusiastically as she holds up a nappy to her toddler son, but he seems more interested in the brightly-coloured toys on the floor and wriggles away.

In Britain, we throw away eight to nine million disposable nappies every day. One baby's disposable nappy waste is enough to fill 12 wheelie bins in just one year and could take up to 500 years to rot away.

But in County Durham, parents are being encouraged to use the environmentally-friendly alternative - real nappies. Twelve volunteers from Ferryhill and Chilton are taking part in a washable nappy trial run by Sedgefield Borough Council and the Ferryhill and Chilton Sure Start Centre, a Government programme to support children under four and their parents. Working with Lollipop Children's Products, they are offering 20 per cent off the price of washable nappies to anyone living in the borough.

The parents will try the nappies for six months and meet every few weeks to talk about how they're getting on.

"Over a thousand tonnes of disposable nappies per year are thrown away in Sedgefield Borough alone, at a cost of £30,000", says Oliver Priestley-Leach, the council's waste management officer. "It has been suggested that some parts of these nappies can last up to 500 years in landfill sites, so that anything we can do to help people use washable nappies is saving the environment for themselves and for generations to come."

Washable nappies are made from pure, breathable cotton. They're safe, kind to babies' skins and are naturally absorbent without the chemicals or gels used in disposables. They also have financial benefits and can save a family up to £600 over 18 months. If they're used for subsequent children, the savings can be even greater.

Oliver says: "Depending on what kind of nappies you choose, you could save a substantial amount, but some people are put off by the initial outlay which is about £250. That can be a particular problem in Sure Start areas, where families are on low incomes, but we are looking at ways to make it easier to buy them and we have a research student from Sunderland University working with us."

The group of mothers at the Sure Start Centre in Chilton are all impressed by the samples. Their eyes light up when they hear about the liners that can be inserted for extra absorbency and the waterproof outer covers that come in a range of colours and patterns.

Joanne Phillips, a mother-of-three, has used both the old-style terry nappies and disposables and is keen to try the new washables on 11-month-old Ethan.

She says: "My first son is ten now and when I had him, I was working as a nanny. I found it really quite hard to cope with the terry nappies because I was so busy and there was so much washing to do. When I had my daughter, I decided to try disposables and they were great, really convenient. But when I had Ethan, my daughter was still in nappies for a while and it was costing me around £20 a week. This sounds like the perfect solution."

There is a wide variety of cloth nappies now on the market. Shaped nappies have elasticated waists and legs, most have velcro fittings or poppers and are worn with a waterproof cover. There are also all-in-ones, with a built-in cover. They're even easier to fit but are more expensive. All of the nappies can be easily adjusted to fit babies of any size.

Carol Lymer gave birth to her first son, Ritchie, five months ago. She says: "I've used disposables from the start but they are quite expensive and there's a lot of rubbish. Until I heard about the trial, I hadn't even thought about washable nappies."

Unlike Carol, Katherine Wright is already aware of the benefits of real nappies and uses traditional, flat terries on her nine-month-old son, Ryan. "I have always used washable nappies but I'm looking forward to trying the new ones because you don't have to worry about pins. I believe they're better for the children's skin," she says.

"I'd like to see more people using washable nappies but I just don't think they're aware they exist. There are always adverts for disposable ones but nothing about these. It's no wonder people don't use them."

* Anyone living in Sedgefield Borough who would like to know more about the real nappies scheme should contact Oliver Priestley-Leach on (01388) 816166.

* For more information, write to The Real Nappy Association, PO Box 3704, London, SE26 4RX or visit the website at www.realnappy.com.