The guilt of diaper waste

[Demon-hunter]

This has been in my heart and mind for a long time, do any of you guys ever had the fear of polluting nature with your disposable diapers?

[Elfy]

I wouldn't worry about it. When you look at the prodigious amount of waste and material thrown out by large commercial and industrial companies the impact you as an individual can have on the environment is extremely minimal, especially when I assume nappies are just one of many things you throw out.

The way governments (UK at least) push for less pollution from the individual whilst these companies are able to pollute more in a small amount of time than any of us will in our entire lives is almost laughable.

When you factor in how many nappies get thrown out everyday, both baby and adult, I can pretty much assure you that the impact your particular nappies make is zero. If you prefer disposable just use them and don't worry about the environment because there are far, far worse things going on than just a few extra nappies! Besides disposables may not be an option forever, so best to use them whilst you can.

[DL4LIFE]

I thought of this too. But I look at it this way.

[Saschadzg]

In the Netherlands they use diapers for fuelling power plants.

[dl2024]

It would be nice if America could start making a way to recycle, terracycle, etc... diapers. Nobody wants to really take that chance of it flopping though so we'll have to wait til someone has the courage to do it.

[rusty pins]

I maybe use 2 or once in a while 3 disposable diapers a week.

[Elfy]

The UK recently made it law that there was a 5p charge on all carrier bags. Since then the number of plastic bags used has dropped 80% which is an incredible drop for such a small charge.

We have a lot of reusable bags now "Bags for life" as they are called I believe, and they are bigger and more convenient than plastic bags and don't need throwing away. We have had two for a year and they are holding up very well still.

[rusty pins]

yes, we have at least 8 large cloth bags with handles that we use for groceries.

[Bettypooh]

I don't worry about it. I'd like things to be better but they aren't so I just go on living as I need to. Used diapers aren't really a major environmental issue compared to many other things- unleaded motor fuel will kill us first (research "MTBE" in our aquifers) and that's just the tip of the iceberg. No gain in cloth diapers either when you consider the whole cycle of things so what are we to do, stop wearing? That won't work so I just live with it- I can't do much else.

I do the 3 R's otherwise; I am known to not waste anything but my time so in that I'm doing more than most which somewhat balances the situation. At least I try where I can!

Bettypooh

[Baby Brian]

Think of it this way. Disposables are primarily made from oil, which comes from the ground. When you toss used diapers out, that's where they will likely end up. It would be great if we could get more plasma trash reactors install, then trash we throw away wouldn't be so bad.

[willnotwill]

You can see if you can get a diaper recycling operation going in your community, such do exist in some areas.

[Rachel Emily]

On 12/6/2015 at 2:39 PM, DL4LIFE said:

I thought of this too. But I look at it this way.

[Baby Brian]

On 12/7/2015 at 3:48 PM, willnotwill said:

You can see if you can get a diaper recycling operation going in your community, such do exist in some areas.

[manncer]

http://www.livestrong.com/article/149890-environmental-impact-of-disposable-diapers/

[Rachel Emily]

The big obstacle right now to my going cloth-only is the cost of the laundry, which is as daunting as the cost of the diapers themselves. I use coin washing machines, and there is no cloth diaper service in this area. Every one that's been attempted in the last twenty years here has failed.

[Baby Brian]

That is a totally bogus "research" claim that is just as biased as

[cathdiap]

Yes I feel guilty for my diaper waste. But I am too selfish to give up wearing them. I am only

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

I actually don't feel guilty about my diaper use, and I don't feel guilty about it because I've offset my carbon footprint elsewhere. I don't drive, (granted, I too get rides from people, but I walk more than most in my area,) my primary computer for simple tasks draws a paltry 13W of power per kW hour, while it's successor will likely draw about half that, I recycle as much as possible, and I just switched by electric candles from incandescent bulbs that would last between 3-8 months to LED bulbs that should last 45 years minimum. My bedroom's "real" lighting is mostly CFL, although I intend to switch that to LED soon as well. (It's been CFL for about 10 years, drawing just as much power as my computer.) I should also note that I usually sit in the dark rather than use light unless I'm working with cameras as I find it more comfortable, because I'm inherently weird. In essence, my carbon footprint is incredibly low compared to most other people. The most damage I do is in the form of baby wipes which I use diapers or no diapers, and you can pry those out of my cold, dead hands. My bedroom trash can, (about the size of what's used in most kitchens,) arguably the only thing with a higher carbon footprint than the aforementioned wipes, hasn't been emptied in a little over a year now, and that's an "accomplishment" that I'm proud of in an almost devious sort of way. I also run my diapers into the ground to the point where they're practically falling apart when I throw them away, so even if I get rid of a bunch at once, I'll have gotten far more use out of them than most people would.

[FunTime]

In my city, the diapers now go into the green bin (black - trash, blue - recycle, green - food waste / compost)

I've checked and re-checked and that's where they tell us to put them!