Now you don’t have to think about the lesser of two evils between disposable diapers (clogged landfills) and cloth diapers which consume water and energy. A new start-up in California is tackling the whole ‘how to make green diapers’ question and I think they may be onto something: compostable diapers.
Now, before you go thinking about human poop in the compost pile, lend me an ear. EarthBaby is a new diaper service that bridges the gap between disposable diapers and a traditional diaper service.
Originally, a diaper service meant cloth diapers and as much as I think cloth diapers save landfill space, I cannot wrap my head around me actually using one. Plus, all that water spent washing them. Not to mention the bucket to soak said cloth diapers in. Until now – I’m seriously considering this.
See, EarthBaby makes ‘disposable’ diapers that can break down via composting in roughly 14-20 weeks to go from soiled to sod. Talk about recycling!
It works like this: you sign up for EarthBaby’s diaper service. They deliver your diapers that look like and act like any other disposable diaper. They supply you with diaper pail liners (and even wipes!). Then, instead of knotting that diaper liner and tossing it in the trash, you set it out for EarthBaby and they come pick it up.
The company was started by the dad of two children (an infant and a toddler). He and his wife became overwhelmed by the amount of trash they created just from all those diapers. And, amazingly, instead of bitching about it, he did something.
Way to go! All that and sleep deprived, too. I’m lucky if I brush my teeth in the morning.
Anyway, back to EarthBaby. It’s only available in Northern California right now, but I figure that the more people sign on, the bigger this company will get. It’s slightly more expensive than regular disposable diapers and sadly, that could be a deal breaker for some families. It’s the regular cost of diapers (say $12 a pack for 44 diapers) but you have to pay a monthly pick up fee of $30.
Now, you could rationalize that you’ll be paying less for garbage pick up if you do this, so there’s that. And, you’d be doing something good for generations to come…at least, these are the arguments I’m telling myself.
On the EarthBaby home page, the company boasts composting 18,440 pounds in a week and have diverted over 400,000 pounds of diapers from Bay Area landfills already. That’s some poop.
Just imagine: the power of the poop is in your hands!
photo credit: Earth Baby
