Parents will be given a financial incentive to encourage them to use re-usable nappies, councillors have agreed.

Members of the county council's environmental committee are planning to implement a scheme before Real Nappy Week in April, 2002.

Parents will get a discount of £30 on the cost of using re-useable nappies.

Oxfordshire homes produce 12,000 tonnes of nappy waste a year, costing about £300,000 in disposal charges. Discounts to parents agreeing to use re-usable nappies will be funded by the savings in disposal costs.

Green councillor Craig Simmons, who has a five-month-old daughter Berenice, produced one disposable nappy and one reusable nappy at the meeting to demonstrate the difference to councillors.

He said: "I use re-usable nappies and a laundry service for my little one and believe there are a number of benefits."

Apart from the environmental benefits, reuseable nappies were cheaper.

"We need to link up with maternity wards at the hospitals because the John Radcliffe provides new parents with a pack of disposable nappies, which is outrageous."

Labour councillor Terry Joslin voted against the scheme, claiming that re-usable nappies gave babies nappy rash.

"I am going to vote for the babies," he said. "In the past, babies got terrible ulcerated legs because of re-usable nappies. Disposables are a major improvement and I don't think we should be telling mothers what to do."

The scheme will be managed by a nappy laundering company and the council's Waste Management Group will monitor it and help to promote it in antenatal classes and maternity wards.

Andrew Pau, head of the council's waste management group, said parents would receive £30 discount on the cotton wraps used to hold re-usable nappies.

"We hope that will provide a continuing incentive," he added, "otherwise parents could drop out of the scheme."

District councils in Oxfordshire will also be asked to contribute to the cost of promoting the scheme.