My environmental dilemma
I am dilemma’ing right now. We have been exclusively cloth diapering Colin (and did the same for Delaney). We generally use very few disposables, but when we do, we use a chlorine-free disposable diaper from Seventh Generation; it is the only diaper that he can handle without breaking out. We have chosen to cloth diaper to avoid the environmental ramifications of using disposables exclusively (which are more than just filling the landfill). We also use cloth because I am cheap, and while my diapers were somewhat pricey, it is certainly cheaper than purchasing a case of diapers a month for two to two and a half years! AND I can resell them when he’s done.
But here’s my dilemma…
We are in a drought. There is no question about it. Even if it rained every day, it would take months for our water levels to return to normal. The water table is starting to show the effects of the drought even. This drought is considered a “severe drought” by the “important” people. Washing diapers takes a fair share of water. I do a soak load (fill 1), a wash load (fill 2) and generally two rinses (fill 3 & 4). Once per month or once every 6 weeks, I strip my diapers, which requires an ADDITIONAL 2 or so rinses. So I’m using quite a bit of water every 3 or 4 days when I wash diapers.
But on the flip side, I don’t want to be throwing away all that waste! I can’t imagine having a bag full of diapers going into the landfill weekly!
We do a good job at conserving water in general. I have even become more conscious of water conservation lately. And for goodness sake - Chris makes and sells rain barrels, so we definitely do our part for local conservation of water. Chris said that our water consumption is below-average.
But we also do a good job at keeping OTHER things out of the trash. We recycle everything we can. We take our own bags to the store. We compost. We buy bulk foods.
So for the sake of the drought do I give up cloth diapering for the time being? I really hesitate to do this because as I said, I’m a cheap, and the Seventh Generation diapers aren’t the cheapest diapers on the market. But environmentally, they are the best diapers (aside from the gDiapers, but we’ve tried that system, and I find cloth so much easier!). I suppose I could go back to gDiapers, but that still requires one to two flushes of the toilet per diaper change, so that 1.6-3.2 gallons per change. That will add up, too.
Decisions, decisions… Any input will be well received.
November 11th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Have you thought about using g-diapers??
November 11th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Hmmm… that’s a toughie Tara… maybe it’s time for Colin to start using the potty. For the environment and all
I think you should still cd. You’ve already invested the $ into the diapers and the solid waste problem is more expansive than the drought. Maybe you could collect the water that runs while you’re waiting for your shower to warm up for the “soak” cycle?
November 12th, 2007 at 6:26 am
Oh I see you already tried g-diapers. I read too fast and missed that. Sounds like your only real alternative is for Colin to learn to use the potty!!
November 12th, 2007 at 9:01 am
I know, I know…we’re working on the potty thing. He is only 17 months, though. He does OK, but he is a little way from “getting it.” We EC’ed Delaney, and though about doing it with Colin, but with two under two, he just didn’t get the attention he needed.
Chris (and I) are really not interested in going back to gDiapers. They leaked all the time, they were expensive, and they were SO MUCH work! Plus, Chris said it is illegal to compost raw sewage in NC; for the same reason gray water can’t be used for irrigation - the slight possibility of it being tainted.
I think we’re going to stick with the cloth for now. The drought will eventually pass, but our landfills will be filling forever! And these diapers will long still be in our landfill when the drought finally passes.
Sarah - thanks for the suggestion! I do “save” a lot of water, but I think I’ve figured out a way to save that bathwater, too. We have this big 5 gal. gas can that has never had gas in it. It will be heavy, but it will be do-able. That is our biggest waste of water! A company called Grundfos makes a recirculation pump which we’ve put on our holiday list. This will help the water waste as it keeps hot water circulating in the pipes so you never have to wait. Cool!