As we all look for ways to help the planet through our buying and lifestyle decisions, we tend to focus on big power plants and forget the little things. But being green is about the little things, too, like diapers.
Currently, there are many types of green diapers. There are cloth diapers, which are an improvement from regular disposable diapers because they can be washed, repaired and reused. However, if you do throw these away, then you will have the negative of adding to landfill waste. Since a baby goes through, on average, somewhere around 5,000 diapers before they are toilet-trained, it significantly increases the waste.
By switching to new, biodegradable disposable diapers, you can help the environment while providing your child with a healthier choice of diaper. Furthermore, the ease and convenience of being able to throw away your diapers instead of washing them is a plus. Also, you save water and soap from being used by throwing away the diapers. Yet, you do not add to landfills because the diapers are biodegradable.
By not incorporating as many health damaging chemicals in their production as regular disposable diapers, biodegradable disposable diapers are much more healthy for your baby to wear and also for you to handle. Chemicals called AGM can have several health effects to a baby, from childhood asthma to lower sperm count in males once they grow up. However, these studies are inconclusive and require more research to verify. So the jury is still out on whether or not AGM causes health problems, and how bad that damage, if any, actually is.
These chemicals are absorbent chemicals that are unfortunately sometimes used in some biodegradable disposable diapers; to make sure that there are no chemicals, be sure to check the bag and the background sources before getting diapers. Most producers of biodegradable diapers have realized that AGM is potentially unhealthy and, as a result, have switched over to naturally-derived absorbents. For instance, Seventh Generation is one brand that offers AGM free diapers for a competitive price.
Fortunately, the large amount of dioxins and trace amounts of heavy metals that are used in the production process of regular disposable diapers are not used in the production of earth-friendly diapers. This means that the wearer of biodegradable disposable diapers will be much more healthy than the wearer of regular disposable diapers that are manufactured in an efficient but unhealthy way.
Other benefits to biodegradable disposable diapers are what they are made of; other natural ingredients, such as aloe, organic cotton, and vitamin E contribute to the health of the baby in positive ways.
Then, the long chain of production is better for biodegradable disposable diapers than it is for regular disposable diapers. For instance, biodegradable diapers are made from natural sources such as corn and wood pulp, which means that these diapers do not require unnatural and ecology damaging resources to be extracted and processed from the earth. Also, they are not bleached in chlorine, as most regular diapers are, which means that the toxic byproducts of producing chlorine are not added to. This means that the environment is not damaged; also, because chlorine can be toxic in certain amounts, it does not pose a health hazard to the factory workers who produce it or to anyone or any animals who might come into contact with the industrial byproducts down-wind or downstream.
As everyone looks to find places to improve their ecological footprint, biodegradable disposable diapers are certainly an addition to any parent seeking to be more eco-conscious while also improving the health of their young child.