Diapers Q&A - disposable diapers account for 1.8-2% of all garbage in the US!?!?

disposable diapers account for 1.8-2% of all garbage in the US!?!?

while 1.8-2% seem small do people really understand the magnatude of this in the grand sceme of things..its monumental! each child diapered in disposables will create 1 ton+ of diaper waste... les not get into all the water and raw materials it takes to make these things.... does this alarm anyone besides me? should there be a cloth diaper tax credit to further make this eco friendly, money saving choice easier to make for todays take and toss lifestlye? i'm a cloth diapering happy mother of 3 now a days it is much easier then 50 yrs ago.. yes the cost to start diapering can be steep plain diapers will run u $1.00-3.00 a peice and covers any where from $3-10. but they save tons of cash in the long disposables will be $2,000-3,000 there are now cloth diapers mechanicly the same as diaposables velcro and go they are more pricie... www.bumgenius.com <--- top of the line

Public Comments

Nope, this alarms me not as much as having to wash poopy diapers again. No thanks.
I did not know that - that's amazing. I've heard that there are disposal recycling programs now under evaluation. The City of Santa Clarita and Knowaste LLC announced the launch of the nation's first diaper recycling program. "This marks the first time a municipality in the United States has decided to make recycling diapers an environmental priority and provided a solution to the overwhelming amount of diapers in the waste stream," said Mayor Frank Ferry. "Santa Clarita has a long history in environmental stewardship and leadership and we are very pleased to add one more innovative component to our city's overall recycling strategy." Recycling diapers in Santa Clarita will be as easy as recycling soda cans, newspapers or yard trimmings. Approximately 200-500 residents, selected by the city, will participate in this free, six-month pilot program, placing used diapers in specially designed plastic bags and/or curbside bins to be picked up on their regular trash pick-up day. The Knowaste process will sanitize and recycle the diapers' primary components. The recycled plastic can be used in the production of plastic wood, roof shingles and vinyl wood siding. The long fibrous wood pulp can be used in many different applications, including wallpaper, shoe insoles and oil filters.
It also takes water and raw sewage to wash diapers which also causes pollution. There is no easy solution.
go back to cloth diapers
While I agree it is astounding how much waste we are collecting, any mother that has ever used cloth diapers will agree it's just not "on the go" friendly. In this world of working mothers, and people always on the go, cloth diapers is just not a reasonable option.
Very alarming!!! A diaper tax credit - ingenious! But....I think folks will use it about as much as smokers who are given an incentive to pick up cigarette butts and turn them in with their empty packs. Not going to happen, I'm afraid.
Why isn't it a material kinda like toilet paper? I mean, I wouldn't want the diaper bio-degrating on the babies but, but have them do it after a day or something. Idk...that might seem stupid?
No, but there should be a better alternative created. I take it you've never actually had to change a diaper. And never actually had a kid wearing a cloth diaper run up to you and try to sit in your lap. And tried to clean the stains after the cloth diaper leaked all over the carpets and all over the furniture and had the human waste strewn everywhere... They need to work on making eco-friendly disposable diapers that actually prevent leakage.
Most of those disposable diapers can be found in Walmart's parking lot too.
That would be nice, but the government is not going to take steps in that direction
Not at all. Daycare centers will never allow cloth diapers. They just don't have the time.
Cloth diapers, I wore those when I was little. Not so convenient when you have an active baby. However, if somebody could come up with a bio degradable diaper that works as well as the ones that are out now, they would be making some big bucks! I would buy them if I had babies...
You are obviously not a parent yourself. Sure cloth diapers cut back on cost. But what about those moms who cant make their way down to the laundromat when she runs out of clean cloth diapers? Also with having two children in diapers at the moment, I have considered many times switching over to cloth. Unfortunately, the starting cost is astronomical and it's really not like you can buy one at a time either.
It is shocking. Cloth diapers are also extremely hard to find. They are making biodegradable diapers now. Its not the trash thats the issue...its the rate of decomposition
That statistic does seem monumental, but it makes sense. As a mom of a baby I couldn't imagine physically washing all of the poopy diapers he has in a day. Not only would this be time consuming where I would rather play with him, but poop can have extra germs in it that his body is disposing of. I definately think it is awesome that you can, way to go! With two jobs for me and one for my hubby its just not possible. The idea of tax credit seems like a good idea, but not one that would have too much effect. I definately would not change for it, especially now that he is all on solids. Maybe companies should evaluate how they make the diapers so that they degrate faster and use less materials to make?
There are in some areas services that will bring you clean diapers and take away your dirty cloth diapers. This could be a good business for you to consider, government tax breaks for this might actually work. i've heard newspapers are a huge piece of the garbage pile too, which could be recycled rather than buried. i want a tax credit for: using cloth bags instead of plastic at the grocery store putting more recycled material into the recycling bin than my neighbor turning my lights off when not in use and using flourescent bulbs and oh not putting pesticides on my lawn:-) Early potty training is another way to help this problem.
I am a cloth diapering mom for my 11 month old son. I also watch my 4 year old niece and 8 month old nephew. When I have my nephew in my care I also use cloth diapers on him. I have found that the brand of cloth diaper you use makes a huge difference in their ease of use for "on the go". I suggest speaking to other parents of cloth-diapered babies and see what did or didn't work for them. I have found some brands where you can "shake" the mess into the toliet very easily. This helps the smell stay down until laundry day and makes them easier to clean. My husband and I are very active and involved in numerous activities. Our son goes wherever we go and so do our cloth diapers. We carry a "wet tote" for carrying the soiled diapers and toss them in our diaper laundry bag when we get home. The fact that *no one knows how long it would take a disposable diaper to biodegrade* is scary enough imo, but take into account the following facts and I don't know why ANYONE would use disposables. Disposables contain toxins such as: Dioxin which is the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. Tributyl-tin which causes hormonal problems in humans and animals. Super Absorment Polymers are what absorb the babies urine. These were what made the "super tampons" hold so much. They were pulled off the market in the 1980's due to toxic shock syndrome. Scientists and fertility experts are beginning to trace the decline of male fertility to disposable diapers as they may create too much heat on the developing reproductive system. As for the tax credit I definately think there should be one! You could have a tax credit for having a "green car" so shouldn't you be given a credit for having a "green baby"? The intial cost of purchasing cloth diapers is a deterrent to some who either don't have the financial means to purchase the needed amount who don't realize how much money you will save by not buying disposables.