Maribyrnong City Council regards environmental sustainability as a high priority for its built environment and has recently created a Single-use Plastic Policy to tackle some of the single-use plastic items. The Council encourages parents to use reusable nappies yet hasn’t come up with an incentive plan to help parents with the high initial cost of cloth.

Several Councils across Australia have acknowledged the benefits of cloth nappies in their communities, reducing otherwise up to 10% of landfills created by disposable nappies (Moreland). These councils are offering residents a 50% rebate for purchased reusable nappies and sanitary items for up to 150$.

Maribyrnong City Council should not fall behind!

A single modern cloth nappy could cost 40$, and a minimum of 24 are suggested for full-time nappy rotation. This upfront cost is one of the biggest barriers for parents to decide on alternatives to disposables, so the council’s help would make a significant contribution to budgeting households. Parents and homebuilders make up the biggest percentage of our council’s population (2016). By giving them the incentive to use reusable nappies and sanitary items, the reduction in waste could be more than notable and would ease the pressure on the collection services.

This petition calls for a cloth nappy and reusable sanitary product rebate for Maribyrnong City Council suburbs of Braybrook, Footscray, Kingsville, Maidstone, Maribyrnong, Seddon, Tottenham, West Footscray, and Yarraville.

Petition:

A household can receive up to fifty per cent of the purchase back on new and second-hand items with proof of receipt at a limit of $150. These reusable items can include:

-Cloth nappies (all ages)

-Swim nappies

-Nappy liners

-Cloth wipes

-Wet bags

-Nursing breast pads

-Cloth menstrual and incontinence pads

-Menstrual cups

-Period underwear

-Period wet bags

So far 24 councils in Australia offer financial incentives to residents who purchase these environmentally friendly alternatives.

Fewer nappies and pads in our bins is a win for locals, a win for Maribyrnong City waste collection services and a win for the environment. It saves everyone money and cleans our future.

Further reading:

https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/recycling-and-reducing-waste/at-home/avoid-waste/minimise-single-use-items/disposable-nappies

https://www.moreland.vic.gov.au/globalassets/areas/esd/reusable-cloth-nappy---environmentally-friendly-nappies-brochure---a5-final.pdf

https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/apply-cloth-nappy-reusable-sanitary-product-rebate

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/cash-for-nappies-and-the-push-to-expand-rebates-for-sanitary-products-20210423-p57lsp.html