How to get rid of plastic swimming pools
When a plastic swimming trunks became popular with children, parents decided to make a change.
Now, they’re making a different choice when it comes to their childrens’ trunks.
Here’s how.
article The Australian swimwear industry is bracing for a surge in popularity as children begin to get into the habit of swimming in the pool, and parents are being urged to get them washed regularly.
The pool is not always the best place for children, however, so parents are now being advised to wash their trunks regularly, and to clean their trunk after every swimming session.
“If you can, wash your swimming trunk at least twice a week,” says Claire, the owner of the family business Surfers Paradise.
“It’s an issue we’ve had for a long time and we’ve really tried to take it up and really improve it.”
She says a few of her clients have been washing their trinkets every few days.
“There are some parents that wash their swimming trinket at least once a week.”
The industry is already experiencing a boom in popularity.
Last year, there were more than 500,000 trinkettys sold in Australia, making it the most popular category of trinketeries in Australia.
And despite the popularity of trunks for childrens, there are concerns about the quality.
“The main issue with trinketing is that we’re going to get kids swimming in plastic trunks,” says Chris.
Chris says some parents wash their pool trunks at least three times a week. “
So the question becomes, what happens if they get it in the end and the trunk is really cracked?”
Chris says some parents wash their pool trunks at least three times a week.
“We have our own washroom in the store, and we wash it three times, we use a towel and we just rinse it off.”
In recent years, the Australian Government has made a commitment to reduce the number of plastic trinketers in Australia’s pool areas by 20 per cent over the next decade.
“Our commitment to the environment is very important, and so we’ve been putting in place a new system to deal with the problem,” says Ms Bowers.
“What we’re looking to do is to reduce that number by 20, 30 per cent in the next three years.”
“In the long term, that’s about a $1 billion investment in the economy,” she adds.
“You’d be surprised how many people can’t get their pool cleaned.”
“The trinketeers, they can be quite annoying,” says Mike, the parent of two boys.
“I would rather have a proper swim in the water than a plastic swimsuit.”
The biggest issue for parents is how they handle the trunks themselves.
“In some cases, parents have the trimmings of their pool and they’re not washing them properly, they might just leave them in the room with their kids,” says Heather, the mother of three boys.
The problem is exacerbated by a number of factors, including how children swim in public swimming pools.
“Kids aren’t wearing helmets, they swim without helmets, so you’ve got a lot of kids that can be a bit distracted,” says Steve.
“Parents need to be more aware that they’re actually swimming in an environment that’s not designed to protect their children.”
For parents, the most common complaints are: their pool is dirty, too noisy and the children aren’t swimming in it properly.
“Most of the complaints we hear are really related to the kids not being able to get to the pool,” says Stephanie, the manager of the parent-run swimming pool at Surfers Place.
“For kids who are a little more sensitive, that can have a real impact on their wellbeing.”
But for some parents, swimming trinks are actually a solution in search of a problem.
“Some parents are actually swimming trays in their pools, and they just don’t like the idea of the kids swimming around in there,” says Lisa, the mum of three sons.
“When they’ve got their swim trays out, they have a little little tray in their hand, and when they’ve done that, they just forget about the pool and go back into their own room to get their wash.”
She adds: “I think parents are just looking for a solution, but I think sometimes they’re looking for the solution they don’t really want.”
The issue with swimming trasks is not limited to childrens trunks though.
Parents are also concerned about the effect that trinketry has on their children’s physical and mental health.
“A lot of parents are very concerned that trinks can make them more prone to depression,” says Jessica, the dad of three young boys.
For parents who have lost a loved one to an accident, there can be no doubt that there are consequences for those who live with a loved person.