All Brussels-City creches to stop using disposable nappies

The City of Brussels has announced plans to stop using disposable nappies in all 40 of its municipal creches to substantially reduce waste, after a successful trial.

Reusable nappies have been tested out since 2020 in two specially designated "eco-creches" in Laeken. After positive feedback, this will be extended to every public creche in the city by 2026.

"Nappies are a huge source of waste and this is a major and worrying problem, with the climate and environmental challenges that everyone is facing," said Arnaud Pinxteren, the Brussels city councillor in charge of childcare facilities.

"We have already made sure that all of the nappies used in our creches are as environmentally friendly as possible - but we wanted to go a step further."

The 1,700 children enrolled in the city's creches get through 1.2 million nappies per year - which amounts to 242 tonnes of waste that is sent to the incinerator.

The goal is for reusable nappies to be introduced in 10 more creches each year, starting in 2023, with all 40 creches having made the switch by 2026. Brussels city council will launch a €168,000 public tender this week to find a supplier.

"We can buy reusable nappies in bulk, which makes it possible to have more competitive prices," said Pinxteren. "Also, the bill for disposing of waste is getting higher and higher."

Parents are currently billed €0.88 per day for the use of nappies in creche. The City of Brussels intends to keep this fee unchanged, to cover the cost of washing.