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Today we start our look into babies and kids and how we use plastics. I’m just going to jump right in with the large elephant in the room – diapers. If you use traditional disposable diapers, this will be the largest source of plastic waste that is generated probably in your entire household for the first 3 years of the child’s life. That is because each of your children will use approximately 6000 diapers from birth until they are potty-trained! That is one sobering statistic. In the US, that equates to 4.2 million tons of disposable diapers dumped in landfills each year according to the EPA. Traditional disposable diapers are made from a polyethylene/polypropylene (plastic) cover, with a petroleum based inner core that includes a plastic super absorbent polymer (SAP). But there are some newer plant-based diapers worth a look. And don’t count out cloth diapering. I found this was much easier than anticipated. Poop is poop and diapering is a messy business no matter how you look at it!
Today’s challenge: Consider switching to plant-based diapers. Here are the options:
- “Eco-friendly” disposables: The Honest Company and Seventh Generation have been two leaders in the plant-based diaper realm. These diapers have a sustainably harvested wood pulp core and are chlorine and fragrance free. If you take a closer look at their ingredients, the outer cover is plant based, but you will still find that some layers are made from polyethylene/polypropylene in order to make them leak proof, and the elastic bandings are plastic as well. Both brands are also packaged in plastic wrap. Overall, I estimate that by switching to these types of diapers you will reduce the amount of plastic by 50-75%. Another bonus is that you can be confident that there are no yucky chemicals. I’ve used both of these diaper brands. The Seventh Generation diapers are a little stiffer, but just as effective. And if you are into style, the Honest diapers are definitely cuter. For me it came down to price and convenience. Look for sales and know where they are sold in case you are about to run out!
- Biodegradable diapers: Poof and Dyper are two newer companies offering biodegradable, compostable diapers made from corn or bamboo. These diapers are not for home composting (although Dyper says you can, but I wouldn’t do it). You would need access to a commercial composting company. Also note that for Dyper brand, the tape closure is still plastic and needs to be removed before composting. Dyper does package their diapers in a biodegradable wrapping. When I questioned Poof, they told me that their packaging varies depending on where it is sent from. Some is compostable, and some is recyclable. My estimate is that biodegradable diapers are 90-100% less plastic than traditional disposables. Full disclosure, I haven’t used either of these since my youngest is recently out of diapers, hallelujah!
- gDiapers: I have used gDiapers extensively for all three of my children. They are so cute! gDiapers are hybrid diapers with a cloth cover and the option for a biodegradable insert or a cloth insert. If you aren’t ready to take the plunge and go fully cloth, this is a great option and there is definitely less laundry than with entirely cloth diapers. The inserts are 100% plastic free (but comes in a plastic bag) and are technically flushable, but you have to be careful if you have your own septic tank. Honestly, I ended up throwing most of the inserts in the garbage for convenience. With my first kid I used the disposable inserts. With my second, I switched to a combination of cloth and disposable inserts, and with my third I transitioned to all cloth. It was a great stepwise process, but I admit I wish I switched to fully cloth sooner!
- Cloth diapers: The only way to truly get a plastic free diaper experience is to use cloth. Even with cloth diapers, many of the parts are plastic, but the difference is you are reusing it over and over. Here is a nice article that breaks down the cloth vs. disposable arguments and looks at composition, cost, and performance. I’ve read a lot of studies regarding this debate; water use studies, cost-benefit analysis, greenhouse gas research, and more. When taking into consideration all of the factors, cloth wins out in every area.
I have to say, I hate the disposable vs. cloth debate. Why does it have to be one or the other? For all three of my kids I used a combination of both. There were always those moments when I was completely sleep deprived and couldn’t fathom having to deal with a cloth in the middle of the night, or when we were taking long car rides and it just wasn’t feasible or worth the risk of dealing with a blowout on the road. And when we hit potty training, I definitely used disposable pull-ups. My advice is that if you want to stick with disposables then start by trying a diaper with a plant-based core and work your way towards other solutions. On the other hand, even though you lose the convenience with cloth diapering, you save a ton of money. With only partial disposable use, I honestly saved thousands of dollars by buying mostly secondhand gDiapers and reusing them for all of my children.
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