5 replies to this topic

[Shortpoet-GTD]

The US alone
uses and tosses 18 billion dirty diapers yearly.
Fossil fuel's used for the plastic's, (82,000 tons)
tree's felled for the wood pulp, (250,000), sitting in the landfills for decades (estimates
of 250-500 years).
vs disposing of waste in the toilet and washing cloth diapers in the machine is a no-brainer.

Article via Treehugger.

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 06 February 2014 - 05:11 AM, said:

The US alone
uses and tosses 18 billion dirty diapers yearly.
Fossil fuel's used for the plastic's, (82,000 tons)
tree's felled for the wood pulp, (250,000), sitting in the landfills for decades (estimates
of 250-500 years).
vs disposing of waste in the toilet and washing cloth diapers in the machine is a no-brainer.

Article via Treehugger.

A slightly different take here.

http://www.mommyish....ersonal-choice/

[Shortpoet-GTD]

"I don't have the time" seems to be the biggest whine. So just toss the disposables into the trash and forget
it, rather than cleaning, caring, snuggling with the baby after the bath, and doing a load of laundry while
he/she naps.
Please.
If a woman doesn't want to take the time, why is she having the kid in first place?
(Of course ignoring the overpopulation problem as the biggest carbon emitter)

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 06 February 2014 - 12:34 PM, said:

"I don't have the time" seems to be the biggest whine. So just toss the disposables into the trash and forget
it, rather than cleaning, caring, snuggling with the baby after the bath, and doing a load of laundry while
he/she naps.
Please.
If a woman doesn't want to take the time, why is she having the kid in first place?
(Of course ignoring the overpopulation problem as the biggest carbon emitter)

The thrust of the article seems to be that there doesn't seem to be a huge difference in the carbon footprint.

I don't know. It isn't my area of expertise.
When mine were growing up, they had cloth diapers - called nappies here.
It worked our washing machine very hard. Almost every single component wore out or failed, more than once in some cases.

I little story. The carbon brushes on the motor that drives the drum would frequently wear out. The first time that happened, I went to try to get replacements. The ensuing conversation with the guy in the store:
"I need brushes for this motor."
"We don't sell them. The motor has reached the end of it's life." (He was a little less polite but the finito or some such word was used.)
"OK. What are the options?"
"Well, you can buy a new motor or you can have a service exchange."
"Service exchange?"
"You bring back you motor and we'll give AKA sell you a reconditioned unit."
"Come again?"
He repeated his speil.

"Hang about, mate. You are telling me that my motor is NFG* but you want it back in part exchange for a replacement? Why, if it is NFG?."

"Yes, we can refurbish it......."
And then the penny dropped......he realised his gaffe.....

Needless to say, they didn't get my business. Ever.
We make electric motors so we had decent stock of carbon brushes - they are rectangular blocks of carbon with an electrical connection one end. Of course none that would fit my washing machine. Not a big problem. Just cut them down to size. Messy but not complicated. Machine back up and running - until the next problem,

The pump failed - Small coins in small pockets - not good news for the pump impeller. A new pump but different fittings. The welds on the stainless steel drum gave way - all those heavy wet cloth diapers took their toll. A challenge but a lot of drilling and brass nuts and bolts fixed that.

There is a point to this. Sort of.
It wasn't a cheap machine. Reputable make and all that.
But, with the use and abuse it took, mechanical failures and parts wearing out were no surprise.
I suppose I'm fortunate that I had the skills and resources to effect the repairs.
Others would have had to call in a technician and take the financial pain.
Or replace the machine. Probably several times. All, well maybe not all, costs and resources that would would have to be considered in the cloth/disposable scheme of things.

Not mention the environmental impact of having to dispose of the machines that others might have chucked.

On a slightly different tack, My middle daughter is environmentally responsible. Recycles, reuses, and grows as much of her own vegetables and herbs as she can. She uses disposable diapers. She looked into the environmental impact and determined that the pain wasn't worth the gain, if any.

We get to keep her two little girls from time to time. The green has been taught to them.
When the older of the two (aged five and a bit) goes to brush her teeth she doesn't leave the tap running.

Enough. A very long post by my standards.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Besoeker, on 06 February 2014 - 02:02 PM, said:

On a slightly different tack, My middle daughter is environmentally responsible. Recycles, reuses, and grows as much of her own vegetables and herbs as she can. She uses disposable diapers.

We get to keep her two little girls from time to time. The green has been taught to them.
When the older of the two (aged five and a bit) goes to brush her teeth she doesn't leave the tap running.

That's what matters.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Update of sorts.
Researchers in Mexico have found that when they "impregnate" mushroom spores onto dirty diapers;
the mushrooms reduce their bulk by 80% in a short period of time.
So far, they are non-edible but can be used for fertilizer and perhaps animal fodder.
They are also looking at ways to utilize the "gel" components of the nappies for water retention in drought
area's.
Researchers-the answers to the problems.
Via Sustainablog-
http://sustainablog....d-em-mushrooms/