 The diaper debate has gone on for quite a while. There's a lot of money at stake, but more importantly, there are two far more valuable things at stake: your children and the environment. In the United States, 80% of parents use disposable diapers. That translates into 8 billion diapers annually, most of which ends up in landfills. The average child will use between 6 and 10 thousand diapers.
Clearly, disposable diapers are a hard option to sell to environmentalists. Disposable diapers account for the use of about 100,000 tons of plastic and 1.3 million tons of pulp derived from trees. Once used, all of this waste ends up in landfills where the diapers sit for hundreds of years. The other problem with disposable diapers is that they contain toxic ingredients. One ingredient, dioxin, is a highly toxic by-product of the bleaching process (a factor that can be eliminated by using chlorine-free diapers). Sodium polyacrylate, another ingredient in disposable diapers, is the substance that was banned from use in tampons due to its link to toxic shock syndrome. Tributylin (or TBT), another disposable diaper ingredient, is ranked as one of the most toxic substances in use today. Obviously, disposable diapers are not the best choice.
A common alternative to disposable diapers is cloth diapers. Cloth diapers are healthier than disposable diapers, since they are not laden with the previously mentioned chemicals. Babies in cloth diapers suffer from diaper rash less frequently than babies in disposable diapers, since they are changed more frequently and cloth diapers breathe better. Cloth diapers also come with a smaller environmental impact, since they are reusable. Granted, it takes energy and water resources to clean reusable diapers, over time the use of energy and water is arguably better than the alternative waste that results from disposable diapers. Cloth diapers are also less expensive than disposable diapers, since they are reusable. One problem that many parents face with cloth diapers, is what to do with them after they're soiled and before you wash them. There are two solutions: a dry pail and a wet pail. A dry pail uses some kind of deodorizer like baking soda to reduce the smell. A wet pail uses water and deodorizers for the same effect. Both options are manageable, but arguably difficult.
A final diaper option seems to be the best for many parents—gDiapers. The use of gDiapers in the United States is steadily increasing for good reason. Basically, a gDiaper is a hybrid version of a disposable diaper and a cloth diaper. There are three parts to a gDiaper: the outer cloth, the liner and the disposable insert. Once soiled, the disposable insert can be thrown in the garbage, flushed down the toilet or composted (if there's no feces). If you put the insert in the trash, it'll biodegrade in about a month! gDiapers are especially great because, like cloth diapers, you can tailor the outer cloth to your personal style. EnviroCitizen.org has found that overall, gDiapers are cost-effective and one of the best diaper option when it comes to the environment and your baby's health!
You can purchase gDiapers from EnviroCitizen.org here!
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