Do Your Part, How to Be and Live Green in Charlotte, NC

The Great Diaper Debate

Having a baby is an exciting time for new parents. And as your family gets bigger - so does your grocery bill and the amount of garbage you create. That’s why we’re doing a series of “Do Your Part” segments on ways for families with children to be more environmentally - and economically friendly.

We begin today with one of the biggest expenses - and waste producers - diapers. Which is better: cloth or disposable diapers? There are benefits to both:

Disposable diapers are convenient, easy to travel with and hold a lot of fluid. But, disposable diapers make up an estimated 3.4 million tons of waste, or about 2% of U.S. garbage in landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.


Cloth diapers create less waste that ends up in landfills. But to figure out the true environmental impact, you also have to factor in the effect of laundering cloth diapers. A London-based environmental group’s three-year study concluded that disposable and cloth diapers create their own environmental impacts. Those researchers found no significant difference on the environment between cloth and disposable diapers.


A University of Minnesota study looked at the COST of both kinds of diapers and here’s what it found. Assuming the average child is in diapers two and a half years:

Disposable diapers cost around $1,260
A cloth diaper service costs around $1,300
If you launder your cloth diapers at home, the cost is anywhere from $500 to $1,900 depending on how much you factor in for labor, water and power use.



The University of Minnesota study found that disposable diapers produce at least 70 times more municipal solid waste than cloth diapers.
But, a load of home-laundered diapers uses up to 50 gallons of water, about half of which has to be heated, and chemicals such as bleach and detergents are used.
The bottom line is there is no clear answer as to whether cloth or disposable diapers is a better.  It’s a personal choice every parent must make. There have been many more studies that have come to different conclusions based on the perspective of the researchers.
So, do your own research, weigh all the factors, and figure out which option is best for your family.

We also found a few alternative diapering options:


Diapers are a flushable diaper. They’re similar to a cloth diapering system, in that you have an outer cotton pant that’s washable. The diaper insert is flushable. If you can’t flush it - the company claims it is biodegradable and will breakdown in 50-150 days.

Tushies Diapers are kind of a mix between cloth and disposable diapers. They do not contain that superabsorbent gel like most disposables, so you have to change them more often. According to the Tushies Web site, the diapers are made out of a blend of cotton and non-chlorine bleached woodpulp fluff.


There are other companies out that which claim to have at least partly bio-degradable diapers. The bottom line is, nothing degrades well in a landfill. According to the California Integrated Waste Management board, there is little environmental advantage to putting a biodegradable diaper in the trash  over a non-biodegradable diaper.