Waste and Disposable Diapers

"Disposable" diapers are not very disposable! "Disposable" diapers can remain buried in landfills for hundreds of years without decomposing. No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250 to 500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.

Did you know that disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills? In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50 per cent of household waste.

An estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers are consumed every year in the U.S., and over 92 per cent of these end up in a landfill. Past efforts to reduce disposable diaper waste through recycling programs have failed, such as a 1991 attempt, which was deemed economically unfeasible.

The single-use cycle of disposable diapers perpetuates their continued consumption, causing undue stress on our natural resources. Manufacturing disposable diapers generates a huge amount of waste: over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.

Disposables Versus Cloth

In 1988, nearly $300 million dollars were spent just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.

The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth. Disposable diapers also use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.

When compared to disposable diapers, cloth diapers are clearly the environmentally friendly choice.

Did You Know?

Happy Nappy uses advanced washing techniques, which saves 85% in water, 60% in utilities and hours of time every week compared to home washing!

Ready to start your diaper service? Contact Happy Nappy today!

Source: Real Diaper Association