diaper refills

Say ‘bye,bye’ to the landfill with biodegradable and flushable diapers

May 28th, 2010 |

Author: Elaine

My own baby has long grown up and I have few babies in my life (I have a grandpuppy instead) but the great diaper debate continues. My baby grew up with mostly cloth diapers – primarily because that was what was available. The disposable diaper market was just beginning. That is definitely no longer the case.

Hawaiian landfill, paradise preserving used diapers for at least 450 years.

Now, that industry has mega-bucks in sales and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere but up. But what about the environment? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still reporting that in the United States alone, we dispose of 16 billion disposable diapers a year. Yes that is BILLION. Yikes!

The EPA also reports in a marine setting (like the Gulf of Mexico) it takes 450 years for a disposable diaper to decompose. Some say that the plastic liner never degrades.

There is also the water issue. The amount of water to wash cloth diapers isn’t anything compared to the amount of water used to produce the 16 billion diapers thrown away each year in America.

New products are being developed and now, flushable, biodegradable diapers are available. gdiapers makes these eco-friendly diapers that are plastic-free and use a cover with liners.

Flushable gdiapers on the shelf at Natural Choices.

They actually suggest you flush them – their website gives two reasons:

First, you’re putting poop where it belongs, down the toilet. Second, you’re sending the biodegradable gRefill to a place where it can still do some good. Once the contents of your diapers arrive at the wastewater treatment plant, valuable nutrients can be recovered and turned into biosolids, which are then used for fertilizer. So, then the gRefill is making a complete loop back to nature.

What was a surprise to me was that the gdiaper refills could also be composted! They say,

Believe it or not, there are beneficial nutrients in those wet flushable diaper refills. And the soil in your garden will love you for sharing the contents of your eco-friendly diapers. A wet refill breaks down in 50 -1 50 days. Poopy ones should never go in compost. The poop should always be flushed.

Once I heard about these, I checked to see if they were available locally and sure enough, the flushable gdiapers are on the shelves in the Columbus, Indiana store, Natural Choices.

I think if I had to care for a baby now, I would opt for a product like gdiapers. It makes sense, for a busy caretaker and for the environment!

–Ellie of the Natural Choices Blog Team

Natural Choices owner Carolyn Behrman stocks products for an environmentally safe home in addition to natural and organic foods, herbal supplements and the area’s best selection of gluten-free foods. Call today to order by phone. It will be shipped directly to your front door.