From Monday, Dunedin residents can apply for a $20 cloth nappy voucher, DCC waste strategy officer Catherine Broad said.
An estimated 1000 tonnes in waste from disposable nappies headed to the Dunedin landfill each year and the scheme was one way the DCC could reduce that amount, she said.
‘‘Approximately 50% of the waste generated by a family with a baby is [from] disposable nappies,'' Ms Broad said.
‘‘There are more than 1500 babies born in Dunedin each year and we hope at least half will take part in this scheme and help us achieve our objective of sustainability.''
Parents could save between $500 and $1000 during the first year of a baby's life, she said.
The scheme, which is limited to one $20 voucher a child, entitles a parent or caregiver to purchase a trial pack retailing for $16-$50 from participating suppliers.
The offer was available from the last trimester of pregnancy until the baby was aged 9 months.
The idea for the scheme came from Mosgiel mother-of-two Michelle Andrews, who changed to cloth nappies after using disposables with her first child.
‘‘I was just appalled at the amount of waste I was putting in the rubbish,'' she said.
Collecting evidence for the DCC, Ms Andrews gathered a week's worth of disposable nappies in a large bag, calculating the amount of waste produced.
‘‘By the end of the week, that bag wasn't pretty. The reality was that this is what people were putting in their rubbish every week.''
Supporting Ms Andrews when she approached the DCC last year was Abbe Hoogsteden-Gale, mother of James (7), Matthew (3) and Charlotte Gale (4 months).
‘‘For me, it was an environmental decision. They [disposables] create so much waste. But for others their choice to use cloth might be because of financial reasons or a combination of the two.''
Modern cloth nappies differed to older versions in that they were able to fit a range of sizes, often coming with Velcro and clip-on fasteners, she said.
Mrs Hoogsteden-Gale said nappies did not add a great deal to her washing.
Environmentally-friendly nappy liners can collect a baby's solid waste for easier disposal and were reusable or could be flushed down the toilet, she said.
Dunedin's cloth nappy scheme will be the first in the country to offer a voucher system at the point of sale rather than a cashback system. People wanting to take part can contact the council or apply online.
The cloth nappy scheme had been trialled in other centres, including Christchurch, North Shore and Kaikoura.
Seminars on cloth nappies will be held at the Dunedin Public Library to celebrate Real Nappy Week from April 21 to 28.
