Hey all of you fighting the good fight; using cloth diapers instead of disposables, flushing all of that poop down the toilet, emptying stinky laundry bags into the washer, folding loads of cloth diapers week after week after week. I have AWESOME news for you! I recent study found that using cloth diapers is just as damaging to the environment as using disposables. What the WHAT?!?!?
Here's the deal: If you are using hot water to wash the diapers, the dryer to dry them, bleaching them and not doing full loads, then yes, it is just as bad as using disposable diapers. What the study did not take into consideration was using cold water, high efficiency washers, line-drying, and eco-friendly cleaning products. There is a definite demand out there to re-do the study. I admit, my first thought when I read this was, "disposable it is!" Cloth is so time-consuming that any indication that all my hard work is for naught will send me right to the grocery aisle to buy some pampers. So this report can be quite damaging if it is not looked at thoroughly.
So if you are swathing your baby in cloth, remember to do it right, or it's really not worth the time and effort. Using cold water and line-drying will also help your power bills and prolong the life of your diapers.
If you are a big fan of gDiapers as I am, you may want to re-consider flushing them. The recommended two flushes to get the diapers down the drain may be worse on the planet than throwing them away. But remember, they can always be composted! Who doesn't want a giant diaper pile in their back yard next to their vegetable patch?
Keep up the fight!!!! (But do it right...)
totally depressing environmental fact:
although all cosmetic talc is supposed to be asbestos-free, it is not always 100% pure. use of talc has been linked to respiratory problems and ovarian cancer. talc mining is also extremely tough on the environment.
totally uplifting environmental tip:
organic milk is not only better for your body, it uses 1/3 of the energy to make it than non-organic milk.
See, this is what frustrates me (among other things) about apartment living. We have access to only two washers for the whole building, and they are far from energy efficient and are always being used. Composting is not an option, and everywhere I've investigated for composting in town will not take human waste (understandable). So I have these awesome biodegradable diapers that go into biodegradable bags that then go to a landfill and can't biodegrade. Or can they? No one seems to be able to tell me where our trash goes. I've done extensive research online and can't find out if our trash is incinerated or put in a landfill. Then I found out that is because the city recently privatized trash, so that different apartment buildings have different trash services that go to different places (ARRRGH REALLY?). It's a rabbit hole that just goes further and further down.
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