Maroondah unites with Councils in reusable nappy feasibility study

Children will require, on average, up to 5000 nappy changes from infancy to toilet training age. When you consider 95 per cent of Australians use disposable nappies, that’s a staggering amount ending up in landfill that can take anywhere up to 500 years to break down.

Maroondah is among 12 Councils working together to research and understand how to implement a reusable nappy program to reduce waste going to landfill.

The feasibility study, which is being led by Monash City Council and works collaboratively with Councils, has been awarded an $80,000 Sustainability Victoria funding grant through the Victorian Government’s Recycling Victoria Councils Fund.

The collaborative project allows sharing of costs and resources, increasing the likelihood of an ongoing program.

Councillor and Chair of the Maroondah Environment Advisory Committee, Marijke Graham said the aim of the study is to understand how we can better support residents to make more environmentally-friendly choices.

“As Councils introduce food waste recycling services, disposable nappies are becoming one of the most significant waste issues, comprising between 5 and 15 per cent of waste in household bins,” Cr Graham said.

“There may be many young families who want to make more sustainable choices, but this may not always be a straightforward option.

“This feasibility study will engage with parents to understand current barriers to using reusable nappies and will be an important first step in not only diverting waste from landfill but creating behaviour change across Victoria,” she said.

This project is a priority action of Maroondah’s 10-year waste strategy and will help us in working towards our target of halving waste to landfill by 2030.

Participating councils include: Bayside City Council, Boroondara City Council, Glen Eira City Council, Greater Dandenong Council, Knox City Council, Maribyrnong City Council, Monash Council, Moonee Valley City Council, Nillumbik Shire Council, Stonnington City Council and Yarra Ranges Council.