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“Green” diaper disposal?


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What I have always heard is as soon as anyone comes up with a good idea for non fuel powered vehicles and applies for a patent, the oil companies buy up the patent and just sit on it.  This even includes improvements to fuel powered cars that will greatly increase miles per gallon.

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17 hours ago, rusty pins said:

What I have always heard is as soon as anyone comes up with a good idea for non fuel powered vehicles and applies for a patent, the oil companies buy up the patent and just sit on it.  This even includes improvements to fuel powered cars that will greatly increase miles per gallon.

Also electric cars have a ton of potential, despite the oil industry's bs.  Little known fact: DC motors can use regenerative braking (where the motor slows down by briefly running as a generator).  If internal combustion engines could do that, we'd probably save a whole degree of global warming.

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The problems with electric vehicles are still large and currently without a solution. In this context two things stand out: the environmental factors of batteries from start to finish , and the storage ability and lifetime they have. When you factor in everything about batteries from mining minerals, producing the component parts, assembling them, installing them, removing them when they're spent, recycling what can be saved, then disposing of the rest, you end up with a lot of energy used which cannot be recovered and it's associated pollution, and some parts will need sequestering from earth and groundwater forever much like nuclear or electronic waste. Because EV's are still scarce these issues remain small but must be part of the equation. And capacity in use is still an issue, for at the end of the discharge cycle you don't have the same energy reserves so vehicle performance is limited and that can be a direct cause of crashes when the driver expected normal operation.

Also worth remembering is that anytime you convert one form of energy into another form, some losses will occur in the process. Often this is exhibited at least partially as waste heat, which if there's a global warming problem is only adding to that. Even with sustainable power generation like solar, wind, and hydroelectricity there is similar happening. And don't forget to factor in the costs (including environmental) of making those happen. We're at the point where EV's are a sometimes viable choice, but are still too costly for use by the masses when compared to IC engines which are cleaner and more efficient than ever before. Another issue is in power distribution; much is lost over distance so efficient charging points have to be near the generating sources. Don't misunderstand me for I am most definitely a fan of battery power and I see it as a great way forward right now.I just also refuse to be blinded by omitting all it's concurrent problems which we have not solved. I think that in the end what we need to be looking at is a more direct powering at a level closer to the center of atomic structure such as hydrogen fuel cells.

And on generation of renewable electricity, all our sources are not constant. Winds, cloud cover, and river flow rates vary. We're still messing with the environment in deploying them, and they are still not as cost-effective as we need them to be. Especially windpower which is only now reaching the point where a lot of equipment is at the end of it's service life and will need large chunks of money to replace. I guess what I'm saying is that we still don't have the right answers and we need to be looking at our choices more deeply and thoroughly than we have been doing or we will end up in a similar spot to the oner we're now in. And most important of all for long-term survival is indeed how we deal with waste- including disposable diapers- because that's all going to be here a long time after we're gone. To achieve what we need to will take a sea-change of people's mindsets and unfortunately that's not likely to happen at all unless the whole world acts as one and follows the same path. Fat chance of that. We're going to have to d@mn near kill ourselves before we humans learn how we need to be, and more likely is that we'll pass the point of no return before we come to our senses. It's the human way and we're not as smart as we'd like to think we are.

Bettypooh

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10 hours ago, Bettypooh said:

And on generation of renewable electricity, all our sources are not constant. Winds, cloud cover, and river flow rates vary. We're still messing with the environment in deploying them, and they are still not as cost-effective as we need them to be.

True, although it will probably be a while before renewable energy can be developed enough to power the whole grid.  Storage being the main problem though.  The "water column" type of battery is probably the best for large scale power systems.  What it does is when there is excess power being produced (such as during the day when people are at work/school), it pumps water up a column or incline, and when more power is needed, the water drives the motor as a turbine.  It's MUCH better in terms of carbon footprint than most other types of batteries.

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On 3/23/2019 at 8:40 PM, Firefly 35 said:

True, although it will probably be a while before renewable energy can be developed enough to power the whole grid.  Storage being the main problem though.  The "water column" type of battery is probably the best for large scale power systems.  What it does is when there is excess power being produced (such as during the day when people are at work/school), it pumps water up a column or incline, and when more power is needed, the water drives the motor as a turbine.  It's MUCH better in terms of carbon footprint than most other types of batteries.

Agreed- we have such a site near here that has kept the use of previous coal-fired plants down under peak-load conditions. The geography here made it possible (foothills of the Appalachian mountains and lots of river flow) but most of the US can't use this. The previous solution of a "Grid system" helps that to some degree, but what is really needed is more localized generation to avoid the losses incurred with distance which essentially throws away part of what took so much to make. And "NIMBY" people don't want that. Look at Southern California as an object lesson where even a normal summer strains their system to it's limits with the people not wanting new plants to be built to fill their needs; you can't have it both ways at the same time people <_< And this also shows why I don't think the real solution is to be found with electrical power; more EV's and such means more load on a system which isn't ready for that even if we add renewable sources. The real solution is going to have to be personal responsibility for what we do no matter how inconvenient that is or what it costs, along with reducing our electrical load and finding other ways to power what we need instead.

So do we want more landfills which will kill the future? Are we ready to pay for special processing to lessen the footprint of diaper disposal? Which could mean we'd either have to take our own used diapers to a disposal center somewhere, or to have them visible and separated in our household garbage pick-up system? :o If we want a better future our choices are very limited. Darn few of us would want segregated and visible roadside pick-up. Some of us don't have transportation options to handle it ourselves. And nobody wants to pay more for such processing :huh:

So the point is moot- nobody (or nearly nobody) is willing to do what we truly need to do about dealing with our used diapers; therefore it isn't going to happen. Me? I'm just going with the flow- I'm as guilty as you in that I could do more and better too. I'm just realistic enough to understand that I alone can't make the needed difference. If I did everything possible the human race might last 0.0000000001 second longer. Yes I'd put my diapers in a separate visible bag for recycling and pay more for that but not until everyone else will because only then will the difference I make count for anything :whistling:

Bettypooh

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16 hours ago, Bettypooh said:

. The real solution is going to have to be personal responsibility for what we do no matter how inconvenient that is.

Exactly.  Disposable and cloth diapers have their pros and cons, but the challenge is finding a way to combine the benefits of both if possible.  Biodegradeable plastics are very real (although currently uncommon) thing, and if good quality diapers can be made with it, that would do it.  Until then, people have to be mindful of what they do.

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44 minutes ago, Firefly 35 said:

Exactly.  Disposable and cloth diapers have their pros and cons, but the challenge is finding a way to combine the benefits of both if possible.  Biodegradeable plastics are very real (although currently uncommon) thing, and if good quality diapers can be made with it, that would do it.  Until then, people have to be mindful of what they do.

nature.... uh.... finds a way, we just discovered a plastic water bottle eating bacteria.

 Ideonella sakaiensis

so i think its a definite possibility we will make a magnificent stride on our landfill waste in the next 50/60 years with all of our advancement in biologics and genetics / DNA programing. the only concern being too far.

as for what we can do NOW, the only thing really is to grow your own cotton and sew your diapers by hand and rinse them out in your stream out back hanging em to dry. anything short of that is still massivley in the red for carbon footprint.

everyone wants to say they're green or thinkin about the earth, but they still dont know any better. theyre just more "pink" than the next "red" person.

so ATM, there are no "green" diaper options.

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  • 1 month later...
On 3/14/2019 at 6:23 AM, Dubious said:

There is already many alternative ways to dispose of diapers, but the cheapest ways are to burn or landfill

If they made the plastic shells bio-degradable it would help. Potato starch and the like. They are a very small amount of baby diaper brands with bio-degradable shells.

A third way would be dispose of the plastic outers and bury the sap/fluff etc in a deep hole in the ground mixed with soil. Some plant watering stuff uses the exact sap. But isn't full of bacteria/pathagens,etc. Plants that you don't eat could re-use the sap, but I bet would stink eventually and attract rats,etc.

 

 

 

 

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There are a few brands of biodegradable diapers for babies, but they aren't widely available. Here, for example. I think I've only seen one brand of eco-friendly disposables at Target, but they came in small packages. And I usually get the big boxes when I get diapers and pull-ups for my daughter.

I also can't help but see the irony in biodegradable diapers being wrapped in plastic.

That being said, I have yet to see adult diapers that advertise themselves as being biodegradable. But then again, I don't normally go looking online for diapers.

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I agree about the amount of diapers and plastics filling the land fills, but here is a reality.  If some company did make good high end bio degradable adult disposable diapers, how much more expensive would it be to produce them, and how many AB/DL or incontinent people would buy them on a regular basis for the extra expense?

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42 minutes ago, rusty pins said:

I agree about the amount of diapers and plastics filling the land fills, but here is a reality.  If some company did make good high end bio degradable adult disposable diapers, how much more expensive would it be to produce them, and how many AB/DL or incontinent people would buy them on a regular basis for the extra expense?

I think you’d be surprised. I don’t think they’d become mainstream, but I think a lot of people would buy them, especially younger ABDLs. Even if it were a medical grade diaper, hospitals and nursing homes are under tremendous pressure to lower their environmental footprint, and this would be a relatively simple way to do it.

Most importantly, like all technology, this would become less expensive over time.

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I believe that separating the fluff from the diaper and flushing it down the toilet is reasonable way of eleiminating much of the bulk from landfill.   As long as you're carefull to add it slowly  and mix it into the water so that there's not a large blob which could clog the toilet, but nothing a plunger can't handle.  The fluff will go the sewage plant and be separted with all of the other solids and then go to be composted.  The only thing to throw into landfill is the leftover plastic. 

The only toilets AFIK that can't handle this are the toilets in south and central america which don't have a lot of pressure, so much so that you're not supposed to flush the tiolet paper. 

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NEVER flush the fluff/SAP, there is a huge chance it will clog the system somewhere, specially if everyone starts doing it

There has been campaigns where the only thing that should go into the toilet, is pee, poo and toilet paper, not flushable wipes or other paper products

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On 5/25/2019 at 8:23 AM, Author_Alex said:

I think you’d be surprised. I don’t think they’d become mainstream, but I think a lot of people would buy them, especially younger ABDLs. Even if it were a medical grade diaper, hospitals and nursing homes are under tremendous pressure to lower their environmental footprint, and this would be a relatively simple way to do it.

Most importantly, like all technology, this would become less expensive over time.

I do agree that hospitals and nursing homes could use a high grade bio-degradable diaper all the time since they bill the patients insurance for them anyway.  It's not like the person in the hospital or resident in the nursing home is writing a check or using his credit card to place an on-line order for diapers.  Unless the insurance company paying the charges questions the cost of the diapers and refuses to pay that amount, I doubt the person in the facility will even know what is charged for the diapers they have to use.  I expect the hospital charges a patient's insurance an outrageous price for low end diapers anyway.

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The other day I stumbled upon information about disposable diaper recycling plants which have been developed for commercial roll out .
We would obviously have to separate out our used diapers & deposit them in dedicated diaper bin points. 
I guess places like hospitals, care homes & commercial nurseries which will go in for it 1st.

 

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