By Goya Dmytryshchak
Hobsons Bay parents are being offered a $75 rebate to buy reusable nappies.
The idea stems from Newport mum Deborah Frenkel, who switched to reusable nappies with her second child.
She made a community budget submission through the Pitch Your Idea program, suggesting the council give parents an incentive to give reusable nappies a go.
“When I had my daughter in 2017, we were using disposable nappies and sending piles and piles of disposable nappies to landfill,” she said.
“As an environmentally conscious parent, the idea of a literal mountain of disposable nappies, which last for centuries in landfill, was horrifying.
“When I became pregnant with my now one-year-old son, I told myself that we would switch to reusable nappies.
“After using them for a while, reusable nappies quickly became easier to use than disposables, with fewer leaks and poo explosions.
“I totally get why most families don’t even consider them but I think it’s one of those things that once you try, you’re quickly converted.
“I had heard of other council areas around Australia providing rebates for reusable nappies and figured it would be a good way to help other new families in Hobsons Bay get started with them.”
Parents and expectant parents in Hobsons Bay can receive up to $75 off the purchase price of reusable nappies under the reusable nappy rebate trial.
A 2020 Monash University study predicted that by 2025 Hobsons Bay will be using more than 64 million nappies per year.
Hobsons Bay mayor Jonathon Marsden said switching to two reusable nappies per day would prevent more than 1500 disposable nappies from entering landfill each year.
“Reusable nappies are kinder to the environment and reduce landfill,” he said.
“For many families, the cost of purchasing enough reusable nappies and questioning whether reusable nappies will work for your family and situation, can be a barrier.
“Thanks to the community budget submission through Pitch Your Idea, we are able to offer families incentives as part of a trial program to give reusable nappies a go.”
For more information and to apply, visit www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/reusablenappyrebate
