Cloth Diapers are Eco Friendly
I think most of us parents are at least somewhat concerned about our family’s impact of the environment. When it comes to our choice in diapers, most people are immediately drawn to disposable because they are convenient, absorbent and readily available. However, research shows that the convenience may be far outweighed by the harm they cause to the environment.
Did you know that over 18 billion disposable diapers are put into landfills every year in North America? That’s because the average child will use approximately 7500 diapers from birth until the age of 3. These disposable diapers are made of a combination of plastics, bleached wood pulp, and an absorbent chemical. All these things are not just expensive; they put a huge strain on our environment both in their manufacturing and in landfills where all disposable diapers eventually end up.
Take in to account the ingredients of disposable diapers. Plastics are made from crude oil. The refining of oil to make plastics is extremely hard on the environment and everyone living near the refinery plants because the plant releases toxic emissions and waste. Plastic makes up the outer shell of disposables diapers.
Compare that to cloth diapers, which are made up entirely of unbleached cotton. The amount of pollution created by the harvesting of cotton and manufacturing of cloth is miniscule in comparison to the impact from huge oil refining plants and mining operations.
The center of the diaper is made of fluff made from wood pulp. The bleaching of wood pulp to make the fluff center of disposable diapers releases dioxins and furan, both carcinogens. This fluff center is used to hold the absorbent chemical pad, made of sodium polyacrylate.
Alternately, cloth diapers use thick 100% cotton pads to absorb thereby removing the need for chemicals and heavy bleached wood pulp.
Some arguments propose that after the laundering of cloth diapers, they are no longer better for the environment than disposables. But consider this, wastewater created by the laundering of cloth diapers is far more benign than the wastes created from plastic manufacturing alone. And while the laundering of cloth diapers does create more overall air pollution, the emissions are far less noxious than the toxic and carcinogenic emissions associated with the manufacturing of disposable diapers.
There is also the issue of where the contents of those stinking diapers go. With cloth diapers, the waste your baby makes goes into the toilet. Sounds like where it belongs right? Except with nearly 100% of disposable diapers, the waste is folded up and sealed inside the plastic diaper, put into a long garbage tube inside the Diaper Genie, than sent off to the landfill to sit for the next 500 years. This is not only gross and detrimental to the environment, but it is actually illegal. By law all human waste must be disposed of in the sewage system and cannot be sent to landfills.
There will always be pollution and waste from industry. Whether we pick disposable or cloth, we will have an impact on the environment. The difference is the extent of the negative impact we have. Cloth diapers use fewer materials, create less pollution to make, and create less waste in the long run. Cloth diapers are not an ordeal to use – modern cloth diapers are fashionable and functional! And you can rest assured in your commitment to the preservation of the planet for future generations.
Author Bio:
www.MaudeBaby.com – Your Source for Modern, Stylish and Environment Friendly Cloth Diapers
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