Trash CreationDisposable diapers are the largest non-recylcable contributer to American landfills.
Resource Consumption It takes many more of our resources to continually create disposable diapers than having one set of cloth that is just washed and reused.
Energy Consumption It takes more energy to continually create and ship disposables to consumers than the energy used in washing cloth diapers.
Water UseIt takes more water to wash diapers at home than is used in the assembly of disposables. However, when the manufacturing and extraction process used to access cheap plastic, the water used to wash cloth diapers is less. Much of our modern inexpensive plastic is now gotten from the fracking, which is a very water intensive process. Therefore, washing diapers at home is easier on our planet than the extraction process to attain the plastic needed for disposable diapers.
General Environmental Statistics
One baby will need approximately 6,500 disposable diapers for a 2 1/2 year diapering period.Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.
What can you do to lessen the environmental impact of using cloth?
Consider buying hemp or organic cotton diapers to avoid the use of pesticides normally used in the growing of conventional cotton. Make sure you have enough diapers to last at least three days between. Use a bio-degradable, non-phosphate detergent, or a vegetable-based soap to wash your diapers. Hang diapers in lieu of using the dryer and enjoy the sunshine’s *free* bleaching with absolutely no environmental impact. USE A CLEAN ENERGY SOURCE to power your washing machine.
Economic Reasons
Using disposable diapers during one child’s diapering years will cost between $2,000 and $5,000 dollars. The recommended number of cloth diapers is 24-36 with 5-9 covers (if the chosen diaper needs covers). At a cost of between $3.00 and $30.00 per diaper, the cost of cloth diapers for one child would range from $150-$650. Once a set of cloth diapers is purchased, they can be used for multiple children! Upon finishing with cloth diapers, many people chose to resell them, recovering some of the investment.
