Reusable nappies slash waste by 75% in 14 Victorian councils
Overview
With a $128,000 grant from Sustainability Victoria, Glen Eira City Council led a coalition of 14 councils to reduce disposable nappy waste and increase the use of reusable cloth nappies.
Through The Nappy Project, 80% of participating families started using cloth nappies either full or part time. This led to a 75% reduction in waste from disposable nappies going to landfill.
Over the past 5 years, Sustainability Victoria has partnered on the ground in towns and cities across Victoria, funding councils to develop their own circular economy projects through the Circular Economy Councils Fund. Through this fund, more than 65 other initiatives like The Nappy Project are helping to cut landfill and make no waste the new normal.
The problem
Disposable nappies make up a significant portion of plastic waste entering landfill. Approximately 2 billion nappies end up in landfill every year in Australia.
According to bin audits conducted across the 14 councils participating in The Nappy Project, disposable nappy products make up between 5 and 15% of total waste going to landfill.
The solution
Initial research, commissioned by the group of councils and funded by Sustainability Victoria, explored the main barriers to using reusable nappies. They found that there was a lack of community awareness of the environmental impacts of disposable nappies, as well as little understanding of what reusable options were available.
The feasibility study research found that 72% of reusable nappy users chose what type of nappy to use before their baby was born, so expectant parents became the main audience for the education and promotions.
The Nappy Project involved:
- an education program
- a promotional campaign
- trial packs of reusable nappies for expectant parents.
‘After the workshops, 80% of participants were using reusable nappies and the number of disposable nappies going to landfill was cut by 75%.’
The project provided 16 Train the Trainer workshops for Maternal Child Health Nurses and 43 community workshops for parents, with over 1,000 participants.
Glen Eira Mayor Cr Simone Zmood said that before attending a workshop, only a quarter of participants had tried reusable nappies.
‘Most attendees were using disposable nappies,’ said Mayor Zmood. ‘After the workshops, 80% of participants were using reusable nappies and the number of disposable nappies going to landfill was cut by 75%.’
Challenges and learnings
Making it easy for communities to take part in circular economy is key
Some local families were initially reluctant to use reusable nappies. They had misconceptions that they were inconvenient and unhygienic. Another barrier was not having the opportunity to trial reusable nappies in the first place. At the workshops, 748 households were given trial nappy packs of reusable nappies and wipes (worth more than $100 each).
Once provided with education and a trial nappy pack, most respondents (85%) indicated they did not have further barriers to overcome for them to continue using cloth nappies. Following the workshops, 58% of participants had independently obtained additional reusable nappies, with some sourcing second hand rather than new nappies.
Use trusted influencers for hands-on engagement
Research from the feasibility study found that local families placed a high level of trust in maternal child health nurses. For this reason, these nurses were trained to deliver the nappy workshops and were fantastic advocates for the program. Effective communication and ongoing support from the nurses were crucial in changing behaviours and attitudes.
Collaboration maximised the impact of the project – but also came with challenges
The Nappy Project's collaborative approach involved a partnership of 14 Victorian councils.
By working together, the councils could share resources and expertise. This significantly enhanced the program's reach and impact.
However, there were also challenges. They included needing to go through review and approval processes with each individual council and coordinating timeframes and competing priorities. This required a significant amount of time, dedication and skilful coordination from the project lead at Glen Eira Council. However, all council officers participating in the project were said to have been extremely enthusiastic and positive in contributing to the project to the best of their capacity, which contributed to its success.
'After attending workshops, 58% of participants bought more reusable nappies, with some buying second hand rather than new nappies'
Outcomes
As a result of taking part in the program, 80% of participating local families continued to use cloth nappies, up from 24% at the beginning of the project.
‘After attending workshops, 58% of participants bought more reusable nappies, with some buying second hand rather than new nappies,’ said Mayor Zmood.
Next steps
‘Several councils have decided to continue delivering a reusable nappy program following feedback from their communities,’ said Mayor Zmood.
Next steps involve expanding the program to reach more families, continuing workshops, and enhancing support resources.
‘We continue to deliver a range of circular economy initiatives and activities to support a behaviour change that leads to more widespread use of reusable products, including nappies,’ said Mayor Zmood.
Funding and contribution to government targets
The Nappy Project was funded by a $128,000 grant, building on the previous $80,000 which supported a feasibility study led by Monash City Council.
Both phases were funded through Sustainability Victoria’s Circular Economy Councils Fund, delivered on behalf of the Victorian Government.
The Victorian Government has committed to diverting 80% of waste from landfill and cutting total waste generation by 15% per capita by 2030, and to reach these targets disposable nappy waste will need to be tackled.
