The Diaper Debate: Cloth vs. Disposable

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The Great Diaper Debate

Around 18 billion diapers enter our landfills every year, which makes up around 3.4 million tons of waste. With those staggering numbers, it seems to be a bit of a no-brainer that cloth diapers are better for the environment. Or are they?

In recent years, the debate over the impact of cloth vs. disposable has become less clear-cut. Although disposable diapers produce at least 70 percent more solid waste than cloth diapers, researchers have started to take into account all facets of the lifecycles of both cloth and disposable diapers.

Cloth diapers have always been seen to be the better environmental alternative because of the fact that they can be reused, and don’t produce as much volume for the landfills. But cloth diapers can be seen as a burden on our water resources. Each load of home-laundered diapers uses up to 50 gallons of water. Often, a good portion of the water must be heated which also uses energy. If a laundry service is used, often the amount of water needed is reduced but other environmental stresses increase (petroleum use, air pollutants etc.)

In addition, the cotton used in cloth diapers take more resources like plant nutrients and water, not to mention manpower to manufacture than the trees used in disposable diapers. But, on the pro side, cloth diapers can be reused many times unlike disposables which are a single use item.

There is no definitive answer as to whether cloth diapers or disposables are better for the environment. Because there is no set number of how many diapers each baby uses or how long they will be in diapers it’s hard to measure the true environmental impact of each option.

In the end, in order to remain green and decide which option is best for your family, it’s important to factor in what is important in the area that you live in. Are there water shortages where you live? If so, disposable diapers might be your best option. Conversely, if space is at a premium in your area, then it might be better to not add to an overcrowded landfill with a disposable diaper.