Hume City Council is one of seven Metropolitan Melbourne Councils joining together to research and understand how to implement a best practice reusable sanitary and incontinence aid program that reduces waste to landfill, supports people who menstruate and/or experience incontinence and increases the use of reusable products.
This study will conduct research amongst people who menstruate and/or experience incontinence across the seven municipalities to identify the barriers faced by these groups to using reusable sanitary and incontinence aids, and will look at what has helped these groups use reusable sanitary and incontinence aids.
This study will recommend a program/s that addresses any current barriers to using reusable products, and increases the use of reusable sanitary and incontinence aids amongst people who menstruate and/or experience incontinence, who without Council support would continue to use disposable aid products. The study is looking for a best practice model that can be implemented by any Council in Victoria.
The seven Councils are working together to take an evidence-based approach to supporting people who menstruate and/or experience incontinence to use reusable sanitary and incontinence products, and to help work towards introducing standard waste services and programs across Melbourne, so that wherever households live or move to, they have access to similar services.
Across Australia, 660 million disposable nappies/diapers, sanitary and incontinence products are sent to landfill every year. Disposable products like these take about 800 years to break down. Amongst the participating Councils, nappies/diapers, sanitary and incontinence products make up between 5-15% (by weight) of household waste bins.
Over the lifetime of a person, on average, the cost of using disposable sanitary/incontinence products is around $5,000 while reusable products (like leak-proof underwear) cost $120-$350 in comparison.
To be part of the study visit this link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/Reusable_sanitary_product_feasibility_study_community_survey
