Disparaging remarks over real nappy incentive schemes

[SAHMof1]

Our local newspaper columnist (see here ) has said that real nappy incentive schemes cost taxpayers money!

Any thoughts?

'Subsidising other people's fecundity': nice!! Personally, I think offering a cashback incentive might encourage people who wouldn't necessarily have thought of using reuseables?

Actually, I think I agree more with the suggestion of a realistic tax on disposables.

I think the author of that article should have been told how much of your council tax goes towards paying for the disposal of disposible nappies.

Bastard! I hope you have written to the letters page of the paper - may be a good opportunity to put the facts forward and set up a nappucino inviting people to find out more for themselves - use it to your advantage. Have seen many articles like this before - mainly from Bristol papers - people who have any env conscience know he is ignorant - whether they use cloth or not - people with no env conscience don't give a hoot anyway. I have found that it is the older generations who support the use of cloth nappies. Also it could be pointed out that the cost of landfill costs the taxpayer more - hence the reason why counils need to reduce landfill.

Eat him for breakfast!

ooops I've just decided to change to reusables and the incentive scheme was a part of that decision

What a ridiculous narrowminded article - councils don't just enjoy throwing money at people for no reason, they're running schemes like this because it SAVES them (and by extension the council tax payers) money in the long run.

I agree with the cornflake kid, use the article as an opportunity to write a letter of rebuttal pointing out a few FACTS as oppose to stupid generalisations.

Too right - that is what it is for - to encourage people to stop filling up landfill and using cloth nappies is one of the ways to do it. If their was an incentive scheme to recycle plastic bottles then what would he say - that people who have milk bottles delivered shouldn't have to pay? Honestly.

The twin thing was almost hilarious - ignores the fact that the woman puts in double the amount of disps into landfill ( nothing against twins or twin mummies) - and would be entitled to double the money or that she probably will spend £1800 putting her kids in disps. Honestly (again)

Our council doesn't offer any incentive for changing to re-usables !

Whereas collecting, processing and disposing of or storing rubbish then dealing with the eventual clearup costs taxpayers nothing, obviously...

Not that our council offers any incentives.

"'Few mothers would find their lives totally down the loo if they had to soak the nappies in a bucket of Napisan and then bung them in the washing machine.'"

Works full time, does she? Has no airing cupboard or anywhere to dry her washing other than an airer in the living room, does she? Had PND, has she? Has two in nappies, does she?

[makes wild assumptions about someone based on eeny quote]

What a completely erroneous argument - "righteous howls of anguish from armies of childless couples, mature single people and pensioners who will rightly object to further subsidising other people's fecundity". How about we all howl about subsidising rubbish collection for the non recyclers, home visits for the old, and every other council service that we ourselves do not use. That is not the point of how these things are funded. We all pay for each other according to need (I am going a bit Marx there!) We "FECUND" are the ones who's children will be paying for their pensions .

My local council only offers a discounted birth to potty prefold pack (which are not for everyone - I went for bamboozles and all in ones) - but they still cost over £60 more than you can get them from very reputable shops on ebay.

I have just changed to reusable nappies (first day today actually ) and found it really difficult to get the money together to buy enough to get me by. The council incentive scheme is one of the reasons I could afford to buy a starter set and without it I probably would still be buying disposables.

I think a complaint to your local newspaper and a link to this thread is in order!!!