For families with babies and young children, sustainability is shaped by everyday realities – cost, time, confidence and care. This is where our scheme plays a vital role, translating big ideas about waste reduction and prevention into accessible supported action in the early years from the ground up. In 2025, our work was delivered through partnerships, outreach and shared learning across London. Here are some of our highlights.
In April, we welcomed the London Borough of Brent to our reusable nappy voucher incentive scheme, joining twelve of our long-standing members: the London Boroughs of Barnet, Bexley, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Kingston, Lambeth, Waltham Forest and the City of Westminster. Together, these partnerships help to ensure families can access practical and financial support whilst getting started with reusable nappies.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, we redeemed 837 nappy vouchers, with the London Borough of Waltham Forest recording the highest voucher uptake. By supporting reusable nappy use, we helped prevent a proposed 980 tonnes of disposable nappy waste [1], saving an estimated £118,633 in disposal costs [2] for London councils in 2024/25 financial year.
Throughout 2025, we delivered 80 outreach events, including 13 online sessions and 67 in-person events, ranging from reusable nappy demonstrations with pop-up shops to information stalls, where families could learn about reusable nappies, ask questions and apply for their reusable nappy voucher. Among the in-person events, we hosted a series of reusable nappy meet and give & takes, giving families the chance to exchange good quality second-hand reusable nappies, baby clothes and maternity wear for free – keeping items in use for longer and reducing waste.
“We’re always trying to use less and reduce our consumption, which isn’t easy with a newborn! The reusable nappy swap was so helpful in getting us started. We learned about different nappy types, tried a variety of reusables, and picked up some baby clothes – all completely free!” – Sam & Neil, Islington
Our community-based approach was further strengthened when we welcomed Shabina Ali, a former Wen Climate Sister, to the Real Nappies for London team. Shabina has demonstrated how inclusive outreach, such as running a reusable nappy workshop for an ESOL class in Tower Hamlets during Green Libraries Week, can effectively link practical demonstrations with language learning and sustainability.
During Zero Waste Week, we launched a collaborative report Small Changes, Big Impact – A Case Study: Reusable Nappies in Practice, a Nursery-Based Approach. The report highlights the successful introduction of reusable nappies at two nurseries run by the Lloyd Park Children’s Charity in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The pilot demonstrated how early years settings can build confidence and embed more sustainable practice.
Throughout the year, we continued to share real-life stories from parents navigating their reusable nappy journeys. These included experiences of getting started after attending a reusable nappy event, as well as powerful reflections on how reusable nappies provided a sense of control and support during periods of perinatal depression and anxiety. These stories remind us that reusable nappies are not just about waste reduction, but about people, choice and confidence.
We also helped spotlight the UCL Big Toilet Project by interviewing Professor Mark Miodownik from UCL’s Plastic Waste Innovation Hub who is exploring how real-life toilet training experiences shape nappy use, and why this research matters for reducing single-use nappy waste in practice. The conversation also brought a wider European perspective from Kriztina Csobay, co-host of the Break Free From Plastic Nappy Task Force and President of Greenzone Association Hungary.
As we look towards 2026, our focus remains on supporting families and early years settings across London to make more informed choices that reduce single-use nappy waste, and we invite you to continue being part of this work. Progress and achievements across all of Wen’s projects, including Real Nappies for London, are captured in the Wen Impact Report 2024 – 2025, as well as Wen’s organisational strategy 2025 – 2030.
We would like to thank everyone who supported Real Nappies for London this year – our local authority funders, early years organisations, family hubs, children’s centres and perinatal groups who have hosted our sessions, as well as nappy suppliers, networks, volunteers and the parents who redeemed their vouchers in 2025. Together, you have helped shape and strengthen our work.
Alice Walker, Real Nappies for London
December 2025
[1] Real Nappies for London (2025), Voucher Scheme Database Calculation: Tonnage of Waste Avoided Report.
[2] WRAP (2025), UK Gate Fees Report 2024/25, Median EfW Gate Fee for Residual Waste Excluding Bulky Waste Containing POPs: £121 per tonne.
View this post on Instagram