Cloth nappy subsidy - What is it?
We are offering a subsidy of $20 for parents with babies under 9 months of age to buy cloth nappies. The aim of the subsidy is to reduce the load of disposable nappies going to landfill - estimated at 1,000 tonnes per year - by introducing more Dunedin parents to modern cloth nappies.
Environmental facts
Disposable nappies use:
- 1.3 million trees to produce enough pulp to meet market demand in New Zealand
- One full cup of crude oil to make enough plastic for one nappy
- As much energy to produce one nappy as it takes to wash a cloth nappy 200 times
Disposable nappies take up to 500 years to break down. During this process they:
- Produce leachate (contaminated water runoff from landfill)
- Release methane into the atmosphere
- Attract pests that transmit bacteria and viruses
One baby in disposable nappies (average two and a half years) will produce two tonnes of solid waste.
Cost Comparison
| Disposable nappies | Cost |
|---|---|
| 50c per nappy | $2,154.60 |
| $1.35 per DCC rubbish bag | $113.40 |
| Total per child | $2,268.00 |
| Modern Cloth Nappies | Cost |
| Average birth to potty pack (average of cheapest and most expensive cloth nappy packs) | $650.00 |
| 10c per nappy liner | $342.00 |
| Average costs for laundering (power & detergent) | $277.20 |
| Total per child | $1,269.20 |
| Savings | |
| One child | $998.80 |
| Two children | $2,647.60 |
Last reviewed: 15 Sep 2009 12:06pm
Phone us on 477 4000
