Cloth Nappy and Reusable Sanitary Product Rebate

Cloth Nappy and Reusable Sanitary Product Rebate

The City of Hobart is offering a Cloth Nappy and Reusable Sanitary Product Rebate to help Hobart residents with the initial costs of these reusable products, which can be a barrier for people interested in switching from disposable options.

We hope to help Hobart residents get started and work together towards reaching the City's aim of zero waste to landfill by 2030.

The issue of disposable nappies and sanitary products

Every year more than 450 tonnes - the equivalent of 100 full garbage trucks - of disposable nappies are collected from Hobart homes and disposed of in McRobies Gully landfill. They are the fourth most prevalent material after food waste, plastic packaging and textiles collected as waste from Hobart homes, and make up 5 per cent of all residential waste collected. In Australia, 5.6 million disposable nappies go into landfill every day - that adds up to more than 2 billion per year.

Disposable nappies are resource intensive, take up valuable space in landfill and are estimated to take up to 500 years to break down. Similarly, women can use, on average, 11 000 disposable menstrual products in their lifetime.

The good news is there is an abundance of reusable alternatives on the market including modern cloth nappies, cloth sanitary pads, menstrual cups and leak-proof underwear. These reusable options can help individuals divert waste from landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money.

What can I claim?

Eligible City of Hobart residents can apply for a rebate for 50 per cent of the purchase price (maximum $50) of either:

  • cloth nappies including swim nappies and modern cloth nappies, or
  • reusable sanitary products such as menstrual cups, cloth pads and period underpants.

The offer is available until all funds are expended. The first 100 eligible applicants will be able to receive this offer.

How do I apply?

Complete an online Cloth Nappy and Reusable Sanitary Product Rebate application form by clicking the button below.

Apply now

Please note you will be require the following supporting documentation:

  • proof of purchase (receipt) of cloth nappies or reusable sanitary products. The receipt must include the company name and ABN, purchase date (must be on or after 1 July 2023), item name and cost.
  • proof of residency in the City of Hobart (e.g. rates notice, utility bill, driver's licence with address details).

Applications will be reviewed within 30 days of being received. Successful applicants will be notified via email.

Terms and conditions

1. APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY
   1.1 To be eligible for a rebate you must live in the municipal area of the Hobart City Council as set out in as set out in section 18 of the Local Government Act 1993 (Tas) and you must meet the conditions set out in clauses 2-3 below.
   1.2 Council staff, elected members and their immediate families are not eligible to apply. For the purposes of this clause 1.2 "immediate families" includes the spouse, de-facto partner or children of the relevant elected member or member of the Council Staff; and
   1.3 Each Applicant warrants that they are over eighteen (18) years old.
2. ELIGIBLE PRODUCTS
   2.1 Applicants may, for the Rebate Period, apply for a rebate for their purchase of any of the following products purchased on or after the 1 July 2023:
       2.1.1 Cloth nappies including reusable swim nappies and reusable nappy liners; and/or
       2.1.2 Reusable sanitary products including cloth sanitary pads, menstrual cups and period underwear,
which shall be referred to collectively in these terms and conditions as the "Eligible Products".
   2.2  The rebate does not cover any cost or expense incurred by the Applicant for the postage or delivery of the Eligible Products.
3. APPLICATIONS
   3.1 To apply for a rebate an applicant must submit to the Hobart City Council (the "Council") a completed rebate application form that includes:
       3.1.1 a receipt of eligible cloth nappies or reusable sanitary products. The receipt must include the company name and ABN, purchase date (made on or after 1 July 2023), item name (underline if multiple eligible items of the same category on the receipt) and cost of the eligible products;
       3.1.2 proof of residency in the municipality of Hobart (i.e. rates notice, utility bill, driver's licence with address details etc.);
       3.1.3 the applicant's contact details; and
       3.1.4 details of the applicant' nominated bank account that will be credited the Rebate via EFT transfer if the application is successful.
   3.2 The Council retains the right to refuse any application that does not meet the minimum requirements set out in clause 3.1 above;
   3.3 If a transaction includes the purchase of both eligible cloth nappies and reusable sanitary products, the applicant must nominate one of either of those categories of eligible items for the rebate to be applied to. For the removal of doubt, the Rebate will only apply to one category of eligible item that is nominated by the Applicant. If no category of item is nominated, then the Council may nominate that category on behalf of the Applicant;
   3.4 The Rebate may only be applied to one transaction. For example, the rebate may not be applied to eligible items that have been purchased in multiple transactions.
   3.5 A maximum of one eligible application per residential address will be accepted. If more than one eligible application is received from different eligible applicants with the same residential address, the first of those applications received by the Council will prevail.
4. REBATE
   4.1 The Council may take up to 30 days from receipt of an eligible application to process that application. Each application will be assessed and successful applicants will be notified by email.
   4.2 Successful applicants will be reimbursed for 50% of the purchase price of Eligible Products, or the nominated category of Eligible Products, to the maximum value of AUD $50.00 (including GST) for any one application.
   4.3 The Rebate Period commences on 1 July 2023 and concludes on the earlier of:
      4.3.1 30 June 2024; or
      4.3.2 When the first one hundred (100) eligible applications have been accepted; or
      4.3.3 When all allocated funds are exhausted; or
      4.3.4 Any other date prior to 30 June 2024 deemed by the Council.
   4.4 Once one hundred 100 eligible applications have been accepted the Council will stop accepting applications and no further rebates will be awarded.
   4.5 Rebates will be deemed to be accepted at the time they are posted to each participant's account. No responsibility will be taken for lost, late or misdirected entries.
5. PAYMENT
Payment will be made via EFT to the bank account nominated by the applicant within 30 days of notification that their application has been successful.
6. GENERAL PROVISIONS
   6.1 Entry into this program is deemed acceptance of these conditions of entry.
   6.2 The Council reserves the right to vary these terms and conditions in its sole and absolute discretion.
   6.3 The Council may in its sole and absolute discretion make a determination on whether:
      6.3.1 an Applicant is an eligible person for the purposes of clause 1;
      6.3.2 a product, or products, contained in a completed rebate application is an eligible product within the meaning of those products listed in clause 2; and
      6.3.3 an application is in a form required by clause 3.
   6.4 The Council will take the necessary steps to ensure that any personal information provided by entrants in this program to the Council remains confidential and is only used for the purposes of this program. The Council will not sell, trade or make available your personal information to others.
   6.5 The Council shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever which is suffered (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss) or for any personal injury suffered or sustained in connection with this program except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law. The Council will not be responsible for any incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete information communicated in the course of or in connection with this program if the deficiency is occasioned by any cause outside the reasonable control of the Council.
   6.6 The Council reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who the Council has reason to believe has breached any of these conditions, or engaged in any unlawful or other improper misconduct calculated to jeopardise the fair and proper conduct of the program. The Council's legal rights to recover damages or other compensation from such an offender are reserved.
   6.7 If for any reason this promotion is not able to be run as planned for any reason whatsoever, the Council reserves the right to cancel the program and recommence it on the same terms and conditions at a later date of its choosing.

More information

Find more information about cloth and compostable alternatives to disposable nappies below, or head to the Clean Cloth Nappies website to learn more about what is needed to start out, the benefits, advice regarding buying cloth on a budget and troubleshooting

Why make the switch?

Reusable cloth nappies provide an alternative that is kinder on the planet and your hip pocket.

On average, a child requires 6000 disposable nappies from birth to toilet training compared to 24 cloth.

Whilst the initial outlay for cloth is more expensive than disposables, conservative estimates place cloth as $2000 cheaper than disposables per child. The savings are even higher if the cloth is used with subsequent children or the family purchases second hand. Details on the economy of cloth vs disposables and a guide to cloth on a budget can be found on the Clean Cloth Nappies website.

Families do not need to commit to full time cloth or compostables to make a difference; substituting just 1 nappy per day will divert over 1000 disposable nappies from landfill in the child's lifetime.

No tricky folds or safety pins

Cloth nappies have evolved dramatically over the years from basic towelling squares to 'Modern Cloth Nappies' (MCN's) which are easy to use and wash, very absorbent and tend to feature stylish designs.

What about compostable disposables?

Compostable nappies are another excellent alternative to regular disposables. Compostables provide the convenience and function of disposables but are more sustainable when disposed of correctly and composted via an industrial composting facility.

Certified compostable nappies can be composted via the City's FOGO bins. Acceptable nappies must be certified to one of the following standards: AS 5810, AS 4736, ASTM D6400, and EN13432.

Buyers beware of 'green washing', not every nappy that claims to be sustainable is genuinely compostable and unsuitable products will contaminate loads. Eenees produce compostable nappies that are compliant with the City's regulations and are acceptable in Hobart FOGO bins.

Low waste menstrual products

Rethink Waste Tasmania have created a fact sheet regarding low waste menstrual products, including re-usable cloth pads, re-usable period underwear and re-usable menstrual cups.

Low Waste Menstrual Products Fact Sheet(PDF, 598KB)