Page 2514 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 31 July 2019
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nappy display, showcasing the types of nappies and accessories available. For more than seven years the cloth nappy display has given parents and parents-to-be the opportunity to see and feel these products and to seek out more information.
The Canberra Environment Centre team has also witnessed concerns or misconceptions about the benefits of using these products. There are misconceptions such as the amount of water used to clean cloth nappies and whether that outweighs the environmental benefits of using them. There are misconceptions about the cost of purchasing cloth nappies and how that compares to disposable nappies. The list goes on.
With so much information out there, it can be difficult to know where to begin. One Canberra parent who understands this firsthand is Emma Black. Emma decided to switch to cloth nappies when her daughter was five months old and she has not looked back. Since then she has created Canberra Cloth Bums, a Facebook group providing information and support for families interested in using cloth nappies. The group has already reached 400 members since its inception in November. If that was not enough, Emma also runs introductory cloth nappy workshops at the Environment Centre.
Emma says that cloth nappies have come a long way since the days of terry towelling with a plastic pilcher. They are a lot easier to use and do not take too long to clean, and they have saved her money in the long run. Emma believes that education is crucial when it comes to sustainable alternatives and recommends that families start small and see what works for them.
The same could be said about environmentally-friendly sanitary and incontinence products. In times past there were very few options available to consumers. Thankfully, gone are the days of sanitary belts and literal rags. Today the options seem almost endless, from traditional tampons and pads to re-usable pads, menstrual cups and even period underwear.
Deciding what is best for you can be tricky and overwhelming. As with cloth nappies, there are also concerns and misconceptions about the benefits of these products and how they work. There are misconceptions about day-to-day comfort, leaking or cost. So how can we make this decision-making process easier?
Madam Assistant Speaker, exploring how we can encourage more Canberrans to consider using environmentally-friendly products is not only worthwhile but it complements this government’s commitment to creating a more sustainable city. The ACT government has well and truly demonstrated its commitment to reducing waste, as you recognised earlier this morning as well. We have the waste management strategy, which sets a target to divert 90 per cent of waste from landfill by 2025. Last year the government released the waste feasibility study, which canvasses options to manage and minimise this waste.
In 2011 Canberra led the way as one of the first Australian jurisdictions to ban single-use plastic shopping bags. Earlier this year Minister Steel announced the launch of a discussion paper exploring the phasing out of other single-use plastics, items such as plastic cutlery and polystyrene food containers.
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