Sustainability Case Studies
How using cloth nappies can work in Childcare settings – Coburg Childcare Centre explains
" The guidance and procedures in Staying healthy represent best practice. Education and care services are strongly encouraged to adopt these practices. However, some services may choose to develop policies that do not follow all of the advice in Staying healthy. For example, some services may have a philosophy of environmental sustainability, and a consequent greater emphasis on considering the resources they use. They may have policies and procedures in place to minimise waste or the use of chemicals. Education and care services that choose not to use the best-practice advice in this document should ensure that their policies and procedures minimise the spread of infection."
So How do they do they support it ? Sound processes, explained to everybody and practiced each day is the key to success. The bench top system (displayed above) demonstrates what happens at the end of each day with containers labelled, cleaned, aired and ready to go for the next day.
Bench top bottom wipes and nappy covers bin:
Dirty bottom wipes and nappy covers are placed in this bin after nappy changes and are intermittently taken to the laundry when full for further processing.
Change mat and bench top:
The change mat is cleaned with a spray bottle of soap and water after each nappy change and disinfected afterwards if necessary. Note the change mat does not have a paper cover. The open drawer below the change mat contains the nappy covers (Baby BeeHind brand) at the front and a pile of white cloths used as bottom wipes at the back of the drawer. It is vital that everything needed for the nappy change is within arm’s reach.
Cleaning nappy wipes and covers procedures: are displayed in the laundry along with the dirty laundry routines.
Cloth index cards: Each room and the laundry has the exact same set of index cards to reference the right cloth for the right cleaning task. It is vital the same system applies across the whole centre.
Procedures for Daily laundry routines and the Laundering of cloths: are also displayed in the laundry at Coburg.
The Nappy bin is accessed by the Laundry Service from an external door:
This door faces the outdoor entrance to the Centre so that is can be accessed by the laundry service and it is locked. Coburg has two of green lidded 240 litre bins and they fill them both each week, swapping them when one is full. The yellow item to the right of the bin is a plastic ramp used to facilitate wheeling the bin out of the space, as an OH&S measure. On the left-hand side just above the bin is the chute leading to the laundry.
The Nappy chute from laundry: Educators put dirty nappies into full biodegradable plastic bags which line their nappy bins in each room and these are put down the chute into the 240 litre bin outside.
Nappy cover and wipes soaking buckets in the laundry.
The dirty bottom wipes and nappy covers are placed in one of these buckets which are two thirds full of with water and Tri-Nature nappy soak. They are washed separately to other laundry items. After washing, the bottom wipes go into the dryer and the nappy covers are hung up to dry.
Nappy covers are dried as they are PVC:
Peg rails which sit above the washing machines and can be raised or lowered via a pulley system. Other items not suitable for the dryer are also hung here to dry.
Cloth Nappy delivery:
Nappies delivered to Coburg are the flat and unfolded flannelette types and these and stored on top of the children’s lockers. They are folded by educators to be ready for use, while the children are sleeping.
Reusable gloves:
Each educator has their own pair of re-usable gloves, which are named and hung on a rack. After each nappy change the outside of the gloves are washed in soapy water, as you would do your hands after a nappy change. Gloves are seen as a choice unless the educator has compromised skin in which case gloves are required. In any case of blood or vomit spill where infection is considered a risk, disposable gloves are always used.