 EnviroCitizen.org has been told that gDiapers really are some of the best diapers around. They offer the convenience of disposable diapers without the environmental and health costs associated with disposable diapers. They offer the sustainability and sense of cloth diapers without the time and energy associated with cleaning cloth diapers. They are a perfect fusion of disposable and cloth diapers.
Disposable diapers are not really a great option for 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. To put it into prospective, a baby will wear one diaper for a few hours and that same diaper will still be sitting in a landfill when that baby's great-great-great-grandchildren are having children of their own. 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 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome. Finally, tributylin (or TBT), another disposable diaper ingredient, is ranked as one of the most toxic substances in use today. It is undoubtedly obvious that disposable diapers are the least eco-friendly, healthy diaper option.
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. However, there are two problems with cloth diapers: the time and energy needed to launder soiled diapers and what to do with soiled diapers before they're laundered.
gDiapers are better than both cloth and disposable diapers. 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 two months (a blink of an eye compared to the hundreds of years it takes for disposable diapers to biodegrade). gDiapers are especially great because like cloth diapers, you can tailor the outer cloth to your personal style. They are cost-effective and more importantly, are the best diaper option when it comes to the environment and your baby's health.
To view the selection of gDiapers on EnviroCitizen.org, click here.
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