NEW INCENTIVE FOR PARENTS TO USE RESUABLE NAPPIES

By Sarah Waters

New parents in the Tweed can fnd some relief when it comes to the cost of raising a baby with up to $100 being offered off reusable nappies.

Tweed Shire Council is now offering a Residential Reusable Cloth Nappy Rebate Scheme.

The rebate encourages local parents and guardians to choose reusable nappies over disposable ones to reduce the environmental and economic impact of disposable nappies at Tweed’s landfll site - Stotts Creek Resource Recovery Centre.

Residents who purchase reusable nappies can head to council’s website and fll out a rebate form.

Councillor Nola Firth frst moved a motion to adopt a Reusable Nappy Rebate Scheme in May, which was supported by all Councillors.

“Disposable nappies are a huge contributor to plastic waste, with an estimated 1.5 billion disposable nappies currently ending up in landfll across Australia each year,” Ms Firth said.

“Anything we can do to avert nappies ending up in landfll is a positive move.

“Based on the use of an average of fve nappies for a newborn baby per day, a very conservative estimate, we estimate one baby would use about 1825 nappies per year.

“If just 100 Tweed families used this rebate per year, we would be diverting at least 180,000 nappies from the tip per year,” she said.

Council has allocated $10,000 from the 2023/24 Budget to the rebate scheme, with funding to come from the Resource Recovery budget which is not related to rates income.

It is believed any reduction in disposable nappies heading to local landfll would offset some of this cost.

Pottsville mother Jaz Bampton has used reusable nappies for both of her children. Her youngest still goes through four to fve nappies a day.

For her, reusable nappies are a better alternative as they’re safer for the environment and not as diffcult to use as expected.

“Using reusable nappies is a no brainer for me,” Ms Bampton said.

“Once you get used to the cleaning process, which is simple, it works out fne and is also cheaper in the long run,” she said.

The young mum also said cloth nappy inserts were much better for a baby’s skin, particularly over the hot summer months.

“I have used disposables every now and then and I fnd they can cause more nappy rash, especially when it’s really hot outside.”

Council’s Director Sustainable Communities and Environment Naomi Searle said disposable nappies are one of those items that once sent to landfll, take up a lot of space and can take hundreds of years to break down.

“The rebate isn’t about saying people should only use reusable nappies, it’s about encouraging people to keep choosing a better alternative or to make the switch if they can,” Ms Searle said.

The rebate scheme will be trailed over the next two years.

For more information about the Residential Reusable Nappy Rebate Program and to apply for a rebate visit: tweed.nsw. gov.au/reusable-nappyrebate.