Diapers, Oil, And The Environment

[Little Faerie]

i'm sure this topic has been visited at some time by all. I'm very torn. I'm mostly a green person, I recycle, drink well water, use natural vegetarian shampoos and body products, eat alot of homegrown and farmer's market foods, local farm eggs and meats, use electric saving lights including solar power, drive as little as possible, etcetera. My only real concession to consumerism and oil consumption is my precious disposable diapers. Cloth ones never cease to leak, unless they are unconcealably thick (at home alone thats fine but elsewhere...)so i like my throwaways. I just read this thing today... it makes me unhappy.

"Disposable Nappies - 1 billion trees per year are destroyed to make em, and that’s just the start!

Ever wondered about disposable nappies? The disposable bit, not the nappies bit. Well here is a bit of information to help you decide between cloth nappies and disposables.

Washing cloth diapers has only 53% of the ecological footprint of disposable diapers. But of greater interest to most people, as washing nappies cant be very pleasant, is that a nappy laundry service can have a mere 37% of that footprint. The greener option can also be the more pleasant one.

Info from around the place.

Between USA, Australia, and the UK, we dispose of 60 million Disposable nappies a day. That’s a huge amount of wasted plastic and human excrement entering our landfills and possibly water tables. Human waste is best dealt with using sewerage systems which are built to deal with this sort of pollution.

Landbank Consultancy concluded that disposable diapers create 2.3 times as much water waste, use 3.5 times as much energy, use 8.3 times the non-regenerable raw materials, use 90 times the renewable raw materials and 4 to 30 times as much land for growing raw materials.

1 billion trees per year are destroyed to make disposable diapers---approximately 4.5 for each baby who uses them.

It takes 1 cup of crude oil to make the plastic for 1 disposable diaper.

Disposable diapers contain chemicals that were banned in the 1980s in women's tampons"[ note from LittleFaerie: this is because women would wear the superabsorbent tampon too long, increasing the chance of TSS and other infections. I vote diapers for your period whenever you can, the re-usable Diva Cup when you cant.]", but continue to be used today to improve absorbency in children's diapers.

18 billion disposable diapers are used in the U.S. each year - enough to stretch to the moon and back 9 times

Biodegradable nappies do exist, but most biodegradable plastics only break down in favorable conditions and landfills don’t provide these for anything, even simple things like food. Print on paper and discarded foods can still be recognizable after decades in large landfills. America’s EPA notes that " . . . a significant portion of the disposable diaper waste dumped in American's landfills every year is actually biodegradable human waste preserved forever. I reckon even biodegradable disposable nappies are not really a viable option for the average person.

When it comes down to it, Disposable nappies have only been available for a few decades. Your Grandparents, and probably your parents, lived with cloth diapers and possibly didn’t even have access to a diaper service. Most of the facts point towards using cloth diapers, and from what I can tell, the price is comparable as well. "

_____________________________________________

I cant say this will stop me from using disposables, but it is food for thought. I will definitely be more conscious of how many I go through during "play" times( I wet the bed and experience occasional stress/urge incontinence, so do I use up propane for hot water energy and electricity for washing sheets or diapers/ additional clothes in my washer, or do I wear a disposable diaper or underpant in these instances? hmm tough question...) anyway thought i would share the news article.

[BoTox]

i'm sure this topic has been visited at some time by all. I'm very torn. I'm mostly a green person, I recycle, drink well water, use natural vegetarian shampoos and body products, eat alot of homegrown and farmer's market foods, local farm eggs and meats, use electric saving lights including solar power, drive as little as possible, etcetera. My only real concession to consumerism and oil consumption is my precious disposable diapers. Cloth ones never cease to leak, unless they are unconcealably thick (at home alone thats fine but elsewhere...)so i like my throwaways. I just read this thing today... it makes me unhappy.

<snip>

I cant say this will stop me from using disposables, but it is food for thought. I will definitely be more conscious of how many I go through during "play" times( I wet the bed and experience occasional stress/urge incontinence, so do I use up propane for hot water energy and electricity for washing sheets or diapers/ additional clothes in my washer, or do I wear a disposable diaper or underpant in these instances? hmm tough question...) anyway thought i would share the news article.

While I commend you for the effort to try and conserve resources, it is not always practical. A cup of oil is not a lot in the grand scheme of the universe. Think of how much plastic is used in all the packaging of almost every single item you buy at the store. That could save significant amounts of oil.

Using compact florescent lights (CFL) and keeping your car in tune with proper tire inflation probably saves more oil than anything for the average person. Every little bit helps.

I do not consider myself a green person but I do not see a need for conspicuous consumption. I've converted to CFL lights where possible, set my hot water heater back 10F and have opened windows instead of running the air conditioning when possible. I've turned my freezer up a notch and it still keeps the ice cubes solid but should use a little less electricity. I ride my motorcycle (50mpg vs 28mpg) when the weather is tolerable. I've even used GPS software and the "no left turn" technique to help make shorter trips.

If you want to feel good about your disposables, remember this: The trees used to make paper and other products like diaper fluff are the left over scraps, much like hotdogs are scraps of meat. Also, for every tree that is used but not burned or consumed sequesters real carbon. So, putting a used diaper in the ground keeps the CO2 there. If it decomposed, it would produce MORE greenhouse gases.

In the end, you could wear cloth and plastic panties when appropriate to reduce your carbon footprint and still use disposables when the convenience out weighs the environmental impact.

I don't think we have to change our lives dramatically, despite $4 a gallon gas, to make a big impact on the use of our natural resources.

[redneck diaper boy]

I have worn cloth diapers for most of my life. My wife even washes them in hotel laundy facilities. If I go out on business, I take disposables with me just for the convenience.

It does cost money to launder diapers.

i'm sure this topic has been visited at some time by all. I'm very torn. I'm mostly a green person, I recycle, drink well water, use natural vegetarian shampoos and body products, eat alot of homegrown and farmer's market foods, local farm eggs and meats, use electric saving lights including solar power, drive as little as possible, etcetera. My only real concession to consumerism and oil consumption is my precious disposable diapers. Cloth ones never cease to leak, unless they are unconcealably thick (at home alone thats fine but elsewhere...)so i like my throwaways. I just read this thing today... it makes me unhappy.

"Disposable Nappies - 1 billion trees per year are destroyed to make em, and that’s just the start!

Ever wondered about disposable nappies? The disposable bit, not the nappies bit. Well here is a bit of information to help you decide between cloth nappies and disposables.

Washing cloth diapers has only 53% of the ecological footprint of disposable diapers. But of greater interest to most people, as washing nappies cant be very pleasant, is that a nappy laundry service can have a mere 37% of that footprint. The greener option can also be the more pleasant one.

Info from around the place.

Between USA, Australia, and the UK, we dispose of 60 million Disposable nappies a day. That’s a huge amount of wasted plastic and human excrement entering our landfills and possibly water tables. Human waste is best dealt with using sewerage systems which are built to deal with this sort of pollution.

Landbank Consultancy concluded that disposable diapers create 2.3 times as much water waste, use 3.5 times as much energy, use 8.3 times the non-regenerable raw materials, use 90 times the renewable raw materials and 4 to 30 times as much land for growing raw materials.

1 billion trees per year are destroyed to make disposable diapers---approximately 4.5 for each baby who uses them.

It takes 1 cup of crude oil to make the plastic for 1 disposable diaper.

Disposable diapers contain chemicals that were banned in the 1980s in women's tampons"[ note from LittleFaerie: this is because women would wear the superabsorbent tampon too long, increasing the chance of TSS and other infections. I vote diapers for your period whenever you can, the re-usable Diva Cup when you cant.]", but continue to be used today to improve absorbency in children's diapers.

18 billion disposable diapers are used in the U.S. each year - enough to stretch to the moon and back 9 times

Biodegradable nappies do exist, but most biodegradable plastics only break down in favorable conditions and landfills don’t provide these for anything, even simple things like food. Print on paper and discarded foods can still be recognizable after decades in large landfills. America’s EPA notes that " . . . a significant portion of the disposable diaper waste dumped in American's landfills every year is actually biodegradable human waste preserved forever. I reckon even biodegradable disposable nappies are not really a viable option for the average person.

When it comes down to it, Disposable nappies have only been available for a few decades. Your Grandparents, and probably your parents, lived with cloth diapers and possibly didn’t even have access to a diaper service. Most of the facts point towards using cloth diapers, and from what I can tell, the price is comparable as well. "

_____________________________________________

I cant say this will stop me from using disposables, but it is food for thought. I will definitely be more conscious of how many I go through during "play" times( I wet the bed and experience occasional stress/urge incontinence, so do I use up propane for hot water energy and electricity for washing sheets or diapers/ additional clothes in my washer, or do I wear a disposable diaper or underpant in these instances? hmm tough question...) anyway thought i would share the news article.

[Diaper Mike 05]

I know this isn't the key part of this, but how does making no left turns help anything? I could get to work with no left turns, but using about 6 times the gas I would just going straight there.

As for diapers, I've heard it both ways. Is there an account for the fact that you need electricity to wash your diapers? Possibly gas to heat the water (unless you wash in cold, but something tells me hot is the way to go), and the resources that go into the soap, plastic pants, and whatever else?

I'm not trying to say that I'm taking a side, because I don't know everything about what goes into making a diaper (cloth or disposable), but I am saying that there could be more information (and even American Government agencies could be wrong).

[BoTox]

I know this isn't the key part of this, but how does making no left turns help anything? I could get to work with no left turns, but using about 6 times the gas I would just going straight there.

You really have to give it a try. You can make them but the fewer left turns the better. Sitting in traffic, waiting at lights or for traffic to clear is 0mpg.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/e...companies_N.htm

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/gree...ft_turns_1.html

[jeremy12312]

I'm big on the environment, but cutting down trees to make paper and paper products really isn't that bad. The woods they use are fast growth softwoods, so the major lumber companies are set up like farms, where they cut one crop, then grow new trees in the same spot to be harvested later down the line. Nobody's cutting down ancient sequoias to make diapers.

[PampersPete]

I like Carlin's view in his bit Earth+Plastic.....

Earth+Plastic

[babyrach868]

I have to agree with the fact that alot of the stuff that we buy comes in plastic and I'd imagine the majority of the time we don't recycle. I don't know why when I was younger there was so much talk about recycling and now there isn't. Yes disposable diapers aren't biodegradable but cloth diapers can be just as bad. First you have all the cloth which was to be manufactured into a diaper, then you have to have water, soap, and electricity to wash them. Then you gotta dry them. You call using gas eco-friendly (um hello gas comes from production facilities which still emit CO2.) Plus if your using a laundry service your releasing CO2 to pick up the diapers at the consumers place and then to drop em back off. Yes, something needs to be done about GHG but quite frankly we live in an industrialized world where the US doesn't give a damn about GHG. The biggest polluters are VEHICLES, and INDUSTRIES. Oh yea cloth diapers break down over time with use so you eventually have to buy new ones and you still have to use chemicals to clean em.

I wear disposables cause laundry costs are prohibited with my income. Anyways my 2 cents.

[Baby_Amanda]

Washing cloth diapers has only 53% of the ecological footprint of disposable diapers. But of greater interest to most people, as washing nappies cant be very pleasant, is that a nappy laundry service can have a mere 37% of that footprint. The greener option can also be the more pleasant one.

I agree with cloth diapers is better for the environment and a diaper laundry service for people who don't want to do it, but there isn't a service like that for adult diapers that I know of.

[Diaper Mike 05]

Waiting to go straight at lights also burns fuel. Besides, for non-delivery people, not making (many) left hand turns isn't too practical on a daily basis. No matter where I go, to get gas I have to make a left hand turn. And in my area, it'll do more damage than good to try this strategy. Like driving 6 times farther to get to work, because I have to make 2 left turns.

One thing that people should do, is if you have an automatic with overdrive, always drive with the overdrive on. That makes your engine work less and that does save gas. Also, the standard tips apply - no extra weight if you don't need it, don't go too fast (though I do have serious issues with the numbers they use to get that tip based on my experiences), and don't aggressively start and stop. These, plus tire pressures (reduces friction with the road) and air filter changes, are the best way to save fuel. Avoiding left turns just doesn't do anything for real world driving, like it would for delivery drivers.

As for diapers, Rach is right with the points she makes. Delivery service plus chemicals do have to be factored in.

But I would like an impartial report made on this. See where the numbers really stack up.

[justindiapers]

Waiting to go straight at lights also burns fuel. Besides, for non-delivery people, not making (many) left hand turns isn't too practical on a daily basis. No matter where I go, to get gas I have to make a left hand turn. And in my area, it'll do more damage than good to try this strategy. Like driving 6 times farther to get to work, because I have to make 2 left turns.

That depends on the town. I've lived in a city where turning left at a light was a nightmare because the left turn lights at most major intersections were extremely short and unprotected turns weren't allowed. In those cases, turning left involved far more waiting than going straight would. I had some pretty funky routes through the city to avoid turning left. Those routes saved time, and probably fuel too. Probably not coincidentally, that town had a big problem with red light running.

But yeah, you're right, most people in most towns would probably use even more fuel if they tried to completely avoid left turns.

[BoTox]

"No Left Turn" doesn't work for everybody but it sure has reduced my frustration with non-drivers behind the wheel. You know, the people that couldn't make a left if their life depended on it.

I make my first, and usually only, left farther out where the traffic isn't as heavy and I can usually stay straight or make rights to avoid delays. I've cut 2-5 minutes off my commute. Having a GPS and really good mapping software helps to fine-tune the whole process.

If you have a city with a natural choke point, like a river or bridges, your options are limited. The side effect is I've found things in the city I haven't noticed or known about in all the years I've lived here.

[BabySteviee]

OK OK OK.......I'll go plant 4 trees but I am NOT giving up my Pampers.

[DiaperBoyKR]

Its an old argument, and in all probability a truly valid one.

The question really lies in which option really has the lower footprint. Disposables definitely have more waste, but there's alot that goes into cleaning cloth too. I air dry all of my cloth diapers, so its not a big issue with the drying cycle, but there is the gas spent to heat the water for washing, along with the detergent, waste products, etc.

As far as the human waste in landfills....yeah maybe in bulk quantities, it could be considered pollution, but I also know of several plants in the US that turn human waste into some of the most sought after organic fertilizers.

At this point, in this day and age, I'd be more concerned over what we are going to do for disposables as the oil supply becomes more and more scarce. Obviously something will have be done and developed.

For me, when I wear out, there's no option in my mind aside from disposables. The good ones are comfortable, quiet, convienient to change, and fairly discreet. I'd wear my cloth ones out, but I dont feel like advertising to the world that I wear diapers. So until something better comes around, I'll keep my disposables.

[Floaty_Boy]

The usual debate. Check out Life Cycle Analysis of cloth v. disposables: http://www.wastenotvi.ca/dox/Nappies%20Lif...0Assessment.pdf

Like many debates, there are no clear answers and no clear winners. Summary of the Analysis: “For the three nappy systems studied (disposables, home laundered and commercially laundered), there was no significant difference between any of the environmental impacts – that is, overall no system clearly had a better or worse environmental performance, although the life cycle stages that are the main source for these impacts are different for each system”.

Doesn't seem to make much sense, but Life Cycle Analysis takes into account EVERY stage of an object's life. From beginning to end. Cloth ends up in a tie with disposables for multiple reasons: Cloth diapers usually come from cotton; a fragile plant that only grows in certain areas and needs lots of irrigation and chemicals to produce in large quantities (herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, all of which have a petroleum base). Cloth diapers require more steps (which means more equipment, which means more energy) to make; planting, spraying, harvesting, combing, spinning, weaving, etc. Cloth diapers are heavier, by volume, which means more trucks are needed to haul them (which means more fuel, more tires, etc.). Laundering considerations have to be factored in...

In America, the number one filler of landfills isn't disposable diapers, it's construction waste. People would do better for the environment to renovate old buildings than always having to move into some new place in some overpriced development.

Other Life Cycle Analyses on Plastic v. Glass Bottles, and Plastic v. Paper grocery bags, have found similar results.

--Floaty

[Repaid1]

One thing that people should do, is if you have an automatic with overdrive, always drive with the overdrive on. That makes your engine work less and that does save gas.

But I would like an impartial report made on this. See where the numbers really stack up.

Actually the overdrive is for highway speeds, and as such no left turns are needed to save gas. Overdrive in town usually isn't engaged on most cars under or at 35 as it's locked out automatically. This didn't used to be the case and resulted in many burnt transmissions. A engine turning 1000 rpm at 35 is well below the torque curve of any engine, and as such requires alot more gas to maintain your speed, then down shifting to a nominal RPM, that's why Standard shifts have a higher fuel rating than automatics. Besides they made automatics for girls!

Actually on a decent highway trip the cruise control will save a decent amount of gas, it can adjust the gas much quicker and smoother than any person could and you don't have to pay attention to the speedo and can keep your eyes on the road!

[Repaid1]

One thing that people should do, is if you have an automatic with overdrive, always drive with the overdrive on. That makes your engine work less and that does save gas.

But I would like an impartial report made on this. See where the numbers really stack up.

Actually the overdrive is for highway speeds, and as such no left turns are needed to save gas. Overdrive in town usually isn't engaged on most cars under or at 35 as it's locked out automatically. This didn't used to be the case and resulted in many burnt transmissions. The clutch's slipping combined with to much load results in to much heat and does more damage than good. A engine turning 1000 rpm at 35 is well below the torque curve of any engine, and as such requires alot more gas to maintain your speed due to the gear ratio, then down shifting to a nominal RPM, that's why Standard shifts have a higher fuel rating than automatics. Most people that drive with Automatics tend to overdrive the car anyway and accelerate to harshly and disengage the overdrive in the process, besides they made automatics for girls!

Actually on a decent highway trip the cruise control will save a decent amount of gas, it can adjust the gas much quicker and smoother than any person could and you don't have to pay attention to the speedo and can keep your eyes on the road!

[Guest]

I understand that my diapers have an impact. But I look at this...

I am vegan, that's good for the earth.

I carry chopsticks, which I use instead of disposable sticks or plastic forks when I eat out.

ALL my lights are Flourescent tube, Compact Flourescent, or LED. (except the rope light in my kitchen, but I plan on replacing that)

I tuned my PC for less power use.

I make conscious decisions to reduce packaging, and reuse what packaging I can.

I recycle!

I bought a fuel efficient car, and do my best to keep it in optimum running condition.

I'm pretty sure my diaper still leaves me ahead of most humans. Also have to consider what water I'm NOT using, since I am 24/7.

[Guest]

Waiting to go straight at lights also burns fuel. Besides, for non-delivery people, not making (many) left hand turns isn't too practical on a daily basis. No matter where I go, to get gas I have to make a left hand turn. And in my area, it'll do more damage than good to try this strategy. Like driving 6 times farther to get to work, because I have to make 2 left turns.

One thing that people should do, is if you have an automatic with overdrive, always drive with the overdrive on. That makes your engine work less and that does save gas. Also, the standard tips apply - no extra weight if you don't need it, don't go too fast (though I do have serious issues with the numbers they use to get that tip based on my experiences), and don't aggressively start and stop. These, plus tire pressures (reduces friction with the road) and air filter changes, are the best way to save fuel. Avoiding left turns just doesn't do anything for real world driving, like it would for delivery drivers.

As for diapers, Rach is right with the points she makes. Delivery service plus chemicals do have to be factored in.

But I would like an impartial report made on this. See where the numbers really stack up.

Shutting off the car and starting it again uses more gas. So wear a good thick diaper to avoid pit stops!

BTW, Overdrive... SHUT IT OFF IN THE SNOW AND ICE!

Use it at all other times, unless your car is going up hill and constantly switching between gears (in which case, shut it off for the hill).

Summer, there's about 2 or 3 times I shut off my OD, which is this big ass hill in a nearby town. My car just sucks at it.