TO celebrate ?Real Nappy Week? this week, Okehampton Maternity Unit has just received a grant enabling midwives to continue using real nappies for babies staying in the hospital. This is part of their initiative to demonstrate the benefits of washable nappies and encourage families to reduce the use of disposable ones at home. West Devon Borough Council has given a grant towards the purchase of new washable nappies so that the unit can continue this work for the foreseeable future. Midwifery assistant Sue Martin said: ?We?ve been using cloth nappies at the maternity unit for some years, but the current stock has become worn and depleted. ?I?m concerned about the amount of waste that is created by disposable nappies, and therefore wanted to replace what we had. It seemed logical to contact the council who are responsible for waste collection, to see if they could help us out.? Sue maintains a stock of different types of nappies that she demonstrates to new parents and has details of where they can be bought. Nick Morgan, chair of the borough?s environment and community committee, said: ?The council considered that this was a very worthwhile request which, whilst aimed at new born babies, will benefit us all in the long run by cutting down on costly waste collection and disposal.? West Devon Borough Council recycling officer Jane Savage said: ?In Devon, a disposable nappy is thrown away every 1.1 seconds and almost all end up in landfill sites. These nappies could take hundreds of years to decompose. ?The alternative is to use modern cloth nappies which are shaped like disposables, have easy fastenings, come in a range of colours and styles and can work out much cheaper.? For further information about re-usable nappies contact Jane on 01822 813600 or visit www. recycledevon.org