In the U.S. alone, tens of billions of diapers are sold each year, and the majority of those end up in a tightly bound wad in our landfills. The first problem with this is that the diapers contain “hazardous materials” (i.e. human feces), which our landfills are not equipped to handle. Have you ever noticed the signs at your pediatrician’s office that read “Do Not place diapers in the trash container, please place them in a biohazard container”? Our local sanitation department is equipped to handle and treat our waste. Cloth diapering parents most often place solid waste into the toilet, and subsequently the sanitation system where it belongs. Disposable diapering parents generally wrap the waste up and put it into the trash, creating a health hazard that gets bigger each year.

The second problem with disposable diapers being tossed into the landfills is that the plastic does not break down. No one is completely sure how long it does take for a single diaper to completely biodegrade, but it is believed to be between 250-500 years. If an average of 27 years were used as the age a person becomes a parent for the first time, it would take up to 18 generations for the diapers your child is wearing today to break down. That is when your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren will be alive. Imagine this same scenario if disposable diapers had been used so prevalently 500 years ago. The diapers breaking down TODAY would have been worn by Nostradamus. The diapers breaking down today would have been there prior to any Protestant faith being founded. The diapers breaking down today, would have been there since Henry XIII took the throne of England. The diapers breaking down today would have been in the landfills while Micheangelo painted his famous work of art in Sistine Chapel.

Many question whether cloth diapers are any better for the environment considering they use resources to launder them on a regular basis. Most people aren’t aware that massive amounts of wood pulp, water, and petroleum are required to produce disposables. Add to these materials the amount of plastic it takes to package disposables, and the amount of fuel needed to move these diapers from the manufacturer, to the store, to a home where they are used, and the amount of total resources used gets larger and larger. Cloth diapers use no wood pulp, and little to no petroleum to manufacture. Many brands of cloth diapers use bamboo (one of the world’s most renewable and fast growing plants) or recycled materials. Many parents use water efficient diaper sprayers to “pre-clean” the diapers, therefore requiring less wash time, thus, less water. (For more tips on cleaning your diapers using the most efficient methods and cleaning products, please click here).

Simply put, cloth diapers are better for the environment.