The City of Stonnington is taking part in a study with six other Victorian councils to research and understand how to implement a reusable sanitary and incontinence program to reduce waste to landfill.
After food waste, disposable nappies and sanitary and incontinence products going to landfill is becoming one of the most significant waste issues, making up between five and 15 per cent of waste in household bins.
Around 660 million disposable sanitary and incontinence products end up in landfill every year in Australia and it can take up to 800 years for the plastic products to break down.
The feasibility study will engage with people who use sanitary products and incontinence aids to understand current barriers to using reusable products and will benchmark existing programs from other councils to reach target audiences, meet user needs, and evaluate the effectiveness of programs to reduce waste and change behaviour.
The collaborative project between councils aims to understand and break down barriers to using reusable products in different age and health demographics, and allows for the sharing of costs and resources, increasing the likelihood of an ongoing reusable program.
It will recommend a best practice model to achieve waste reduction and assist and support people who use sanitary products or incontinence aids, to increase the circular economy and to create the basis for behaviour change across Victoria.
The study has been awarded $80,000 from Sustainability Victoria, through the Victorian Government's Recycling Victoria Councils Fund. Other participating local governments are Knox, Whitehorse, Hume, Maribyrnong, Maroondah, and Yarra Ranges.
