The council is looking at innovative ways to help residents who wish to make the change, with the grant helping with initial costs.

By the time a baby is potty-trained, the baby will use between 4,000 and 6,000 disposable nappies. Families using real nappies will only need between 20-30 real nappies during the same period.

The Lanarkshire Real Nappy Project (LNRG) functions as a library for the rental of real nappies in Lanarkshire. They recently received a grant from the council’s Sustainable Development and Climate Change Fund to buy updated nappy kits that can be hired to families to help them decide what type of nappy is right for their baby. 

It is proposed that a grant of £65 per household would be made available, potentially involving referrals from the LRNG to maximise the success of the initiative.

Council Leader Joe Fagan said: “I hope as many families as possible with young children using disposable nappies consider switching to real nappies.

“Real nappies can save families £200-£500 over a two-and-a-half-year period and the savings will be greater if the nappies are used for subsequent children.

“Disposable nappies are collected in black ‘non-recyclable’ waste bins in South Lanarkshire. Unfortunately, they are also a common contaminant found in recycling collections and are often the reason why recycling loads are rejected. 

“There are several different types of real nappies on the market. Families are encouraged to trial different styles before deciding to invest in a particular style.”

It is estimated that using real nappies can result in a 500kg reduction in how much residual waste a household produces each year.

Around 3 billion disposable nappies are used in the UK each year – representing 2-3% of all household waste.