Angry parents are furious that their local council are planning to make them show their children’s birth certificates if they want the council to continue to collect dirty nappies.
The row has erupted in Anglesey, where those responsible for the council’s waste management team have said that they have “evidence that most children are potty trained between ages of two and three”.
They claim that parents should be able to prove the age of their child by presenting evidence in the form of a birth certificate if they want to continue throwing away disposable nappies.
It is thought by some that the changes are being planned by Anglesey council in order to help it meet its recycling targets set by the Welsh government; if targets aren’t met, then it could mean hefty fines.
The fortnightly nappy collection will only be provided to families with children up to three years old, and everyone else will have to manage to squeeze the soiled nappies in with their normal household waste to be collected only once every three weeks.
An Anglesey Council spokesman responded by saying:
“Evidence collated by our Waste Management Team suggests that most children are potty trained between the ages of two and three. It has therefore been agreed to offer this service up until a child’s third birthday. Requesting a copy of a child’s birth certificate will allow us to monitor the number of children benefiting from the service and their respective ages.
It should be noted that this service will only be provided to the home address of the child and does not extend to any nursery, crèche or child minding service they may attend. There is another service which is readily available for individuals who are unwell or have medical needs called the Offensive Non-infectious Household Waste Collection. This service is available upon request from the relevant health care provider, via a prescribed application form”.
Disgruntled families up and down the country have said they are disgusted by the proposal, calling it “pathetic and ridiculous”.