Did you know? Every day, Americans send 50 million dirty diapers to landfills. That’s right, 50 million every day. That’s approximately 20 Billion each year! Guess how many years it takes for each one of those 20 Billion turd receptacles to decompose? <answer at bottom of post>
Check out the following video which comes to us from gDiapers, which makes eco-friendly plastic-free baby diapers (no adult versions that I could find LOLZ). Basically, it shows 3 different types of diapers decomposing over the course of one year. The results: truly eye-opening!
That’s right, a regular baby diaper takes 500 years to decompose!
Now, I’m not a parent yet, but if it’s cost effective and not too difficult to use this type of diaper, just think of the massive difference it could make! With gDiapers, you have 3 options: flush them down the toilet, throw them away, or even compost them!
Have you tried gDiapers or another form of earth-friendly diaper? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
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March 21st, 2009 at 10:40 am
Interesting post, Matt! It makes one think about yet another daily process so many of us take for granted — tossing little bits of plastic away everyday is built into our society.
I know many people who have gone back to reusable cloth diapers — I wonder how these compare to the gdiapers. Cloth has to be washed however the gdiapers can be tossed. As they show above, the gdiapers decompose very quickly, too! However, you have to keep buying them, which I would guess adds up on costs above the costs of washing cloth (which is somewhat labor-intensive). The gdiapers likely come in a plastic packaging, too!
One other concern I have about the gdiapers: does the shape seem insufficient for catching, “everything” to you? I used to babysit and have changed many diapers — and even with the disposable ones that wrap around the child’s legs snugly, you can have a, “Houston we have a problem,” moment.
Has anyone tried Seventh Generation diapers? They’re advertised here on EAS occasionally, but I haven’t changed any diapers recently.
March 21st, 2009 at 11:03 am
Wesley, perhaps I should provide a follow-up post this weekend to this story, specifically on the gDiapers. I found them particularly interesting because what you see above in the video is just the disposable insert that goes inside a gDiaper. Additionally, there is a cloth exterior that the gDiaper is inserted to in order to make a “sealed” and hopefully “Houston problem” avoiding experience.
I’ll provide more info in a new post asap on the gDiapers, hopefully we can get some feedback soon too!
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:44 am
[...] ran a story earlier this weekend that featured a video of various diapers decomposing over the course of one year. While the [...]
October 17th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I use the gDiapers on my little ones and they are great. We have had very minor “Houston”moments, but I had those even when we were using the typical disposables. I love these because they make it so easy to be green. We flush most, but usually just toss when we are out & about. Also, no poop laying around the house – what a sweet odor!! Love, love, love these!!
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm
out some more later ..