The Change – Cloth Nappy Services is a new Maungakiekie-Tāmaki venture designed to reduce the number of disposable nappies and wipes that go to landfill by providing a cloth nappy service to Early Childhood Education Centres (ECEs).
With the support of a grant from Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund (WMIF), The Change is trialling their service across the Auckland region.
“The amount of nappy waste going to landfill is frightening, and ECEs have the power to make the biggest impact in this area by switching to cloth"
"Many local childcare centres want to reduce their waste but face all sorts of barriers. So, we decided to make it easy for them to switch to cloth nappies.”
The Change provides a wrap-around (pun intended) service to participating ECE centres: children arrive in disposable nappies from home, are changed into cloth nappies during the day, then each child is changed back into disposable nappies to return home in.
Rinsed, used cloth nappies and cloth wipes are stored in waterproof laundry bags and picked up and replaced every day by The Change. Nappies and bags are carefully laundered in environmentally-friendly detergents which are also gentle on babies’ and toddlers’ skin.
“It’s an easy transition for a centre to replace disposables with cloth nappies as very little changes, but it has a really positive environmental impact,” explains Sahra Covello, co-founder of The Change.
“We’re really excited about partnering with centres and Auckland Council to ensure the service works for everyone.”
The Change – Cloth Nappy Services hopes to expand the programme beyond Auckland in the future. For more information about The Change - Cloth Nappy Service email info@thechange.co.nz and watch for updates at www.thechange.co.nz
How to apply
If you are interested in applying for WMIF funding, further information is available online, including lists of previous award recipients.
Visit the WMIF application page, email Auckland Waste Fund, or call 09 301 0101 to find out more.
