Alongside six other Victorian Local Governments, Whitehorse City Council will participate in a feasibility study that aims to understand barriers and develop recommendations around reusable sanitary and incontinence products.
Whitehorse Mayor Tina Liu said: “Approximately 660 million disposable sanitary and incontinence products end up in landfill every year in Australia. It can take up to 800 years for these types of products to break down.
“Disposable nappies, sanitary products and incontinence aids make up around 15 per cent of waste in household garbage bins and are our second biggest landfill issue after food.”
As part of this study, participating councils will reach out to people across their municipalities who use these products to understand current barriers to switching to reusable options. The research will also study and benchmark existing programs to ensure that the recommendations meet community needs and help councils reduce waste and change behaviour.
The study has been funded by Sustainability Victoria, through the Victorian Government’s Recycling Victoria Councils Fund and will empower the Whitehorse community to reduce landfill waste.
Whitehorse City Council will collaborate with Knox City Council, Hume City Council, Maribyrnong City Council, Maroondah City Council, Stonnington City Council and Yarra Ranges Council on this study.
It will allow for the sharing of costs and resources, increasing the likelihood of an ongoing reusable program.
