A recent report by the Environment Agency, comparing reusable and disposable nappies, generated an extraordinary amount of coverage. While its findings may be hotly disputed, one thing is for sure - a lot more people now know a lot more about reusable nappies.

For those parents who are interested enough to want to try out reusable nappies on their children, one option is a nappy laundry service such as Nappy Ever After (NEA), a community-owned nappy laundry service based in Camden. The service is aimed towards families on low-incomes, living in small flats without enough room to wash and dry nappies at home. For a small weekly charge, families receive a supply of nappies, biodegradable nappy liners (ensuring that “the poo goes down the loo”) waterproof nappy covers and a bin to store the soiled nappies in. These are collected once a week, and replaced with clean ones. The aim is to keep costs as low as possible – certainly comparable to the price of disposables – to ensure that all parents can use the service, regardless of their income.

Membership of NEA is open to anyone in the local community and community ownership is essential to its success. The business operates out of a shop front in the heart of the community which also serves as a drop-in centre. Parents can come to find out more about real nappies, try out changing them on a doll – or even bring in their own child to try out a real nappy. Most importantly, the shop will allow parents to tell other parents that real nappies work, and that they offer a truly viable, cost-effective alternative to disposables.