Real Nappy Week baby and toddler storytime

To celebrate this year's Real Nappy Week (18 to 24 April), Veolia - the recycling and waste partner of Southwark Council - is hosting a series of baby and toddler storytime sessions.

The storytime sessions will feature a fun and educational character called Munch the recycling truck and there will be free copies of 'Munch and the Funny Tummy' book for all little ones who attend.

The book was written by Veolia recycling operatives Patrick Guihen and Sandro Keningale, who came up with the idea as they wanted to find a creative and engaging way to increase recycling in London.

Parents will also have the opportunity to learn about real nappies and how to order their free, real nappy trial pack.

Ian McGeough Programme Manager for Veolia Southwark and coordinator of the storytime sessions said, "Over 5000 nappies are thrown away in just one child's lifetime and each nappy can take up to 500 years to break down at a landfill site. So this Real Nappy Week we will be reminding Southwark residents how they can try Real Nappies for free and what a difference using real nappies can make to the environment and their pocket."

"The storytime sessions are also a great opportunity to introduce the importance of recycling to a younger audience."

Councillor Darren Merrill, cabinet member for environment and the public realm, said: "In Southwark we're committed to reducing waste and encouraging re-use whenever possible. Real nappies are a great way to do this, not only are they cheaper for parents but they help to keep Southwark a cleaner and greener place to live, work and visit."

New parents in Southwark can save at least £500 per child by using real nappies. Many parents also favor the soft comfortable fabrics as being kinder to little bottoms and enjoy the fun and functional designs. Last year Veolia conducted a pilot study in Southwark which revealed that 92% of parents would recommend a real nappy pack to friend or relative. They also 'noticed the reduction in waste straight away' and 'only use disposables 25% of the time now'.