The Blue Mountains Greens will seek to introduce a reusable nappy and sanitary item rebate if elected at the local government elections in December.
Around 800 tonnes of disposable nappies are sent to landfill in the Blue Mountains each year, and approximately 150kg of sanitary items are sent straight to landfill during the lifetime of one person who uses the product.
Greens candidate for Ward 1, Sarah Redshaw, said:
“We need to make it easier for people to live sustainably. By encouraging the use of reuseable nappies and sanitary items, Blue Mountains City Council can prevent pollution and reduce greenhouse emissions and landfill.
Greens councillor for Ward 2, Brent Hoare, said:
“Using reuseable items can save families up to $1000 a year. We know that these products can be expensive up front though which is why the Greens believe Council has an important role in helping people make the switch. If we can help Blue Mountains residents move to using reuseable items, that’s a great thing”.
Greens candidate for Ward 3, Kingsley Liu, said:
“Nappies and other disposable sanitary items can take up to 300 years to decompose in landfill. We obviously need alternatives, and a rebate on these reusable items will speed up their adoption”.
Blacktown City Council, Penrith City Council and the City of Parramatta have also trialled reusable nappy and sanitary item rebates.
Households would receive rebates of 50% of the cost of reusable nappies and sanitary items, up to $200. The rebate would cover cloth and swim nappies, reusable inner liner for nappies, reusable wipes, wet bags, reusable nursing breast pads, and reusable sanitary pads, sanitary cups, leak-proof underwear and wet bags.