Council has signed an agreement with Kelland Environmental Technology to process and recycle collected disposable nappies and incontinence products from its residents.
Trading under DiaperRecycle, the Australian business based in Melbourne diverts the waste from landfill by recycling and producing it into other products, like reusable plastic and cat litter.
DiaperRecycle chief executive Cynthia Barnicoat said it’s part of the company’s commitment to contributing to climate change action by diverting waste from landfill.
“(Our services) work to decrease emissions ... we are also reusing valuable materials that should not be wasted,” she said.
“We are excited about working with Greater Shepparton, a council that is obviously very committed to decreasing waste and reaching net zero targets, and not just talking about it, but doing it.”
Last year, council implemented a collection service for nappies and incontinence aids to help residents manage the amount of waste in their red bins following the kerbside collection frequency change.
The nappy and incontinence aid collection service is provided to residents as part of the council’s current waste services, but it is separate from the regular kerbside bin collection.
Residents interested in the nappy and incontinence aid collection service must register for the program via council’s website.
Council’s resource recovery manager Liam Moller said the program has been popular among residents.
“The service has approximately 500 registered households and care centres so far ... and is processing an estimated 1500kg of waste per week,” he said.
“This is an outstanding contribution towards achieving both council’s and the Victorian Government’s 2030 waste diversion objectives.”
For more information or to sign up for the nappy service, visit council’s website greatershepparton.com.au/nappy or contact council’s customer service staff on 5832 9700 or email nappies@shepparton.vic.gov.au