Diapers greener than the Potty?

[Darkfinn]

Hey all...

I just found this online... it's a little old... but pretty funny.

Adult diapers greener than toilets - Green Daily

Apparently using a diaper is better for the environment than using the toilet.

So... all you diaper users out there are doing your part to save the planet!

Enjoy!

 

[James]

Lol. The "I Would do anything i takes" option on the poll is actually winning.

 

[g6s]

There's more to the story...If everyone swore of toilets and jumped into diapers... you would have more water used to clean cloth diapers and more landfill issues. The article doesn't cite any sources and I bet the majority of the people that read it are people like us: into diapers anyways.

It was an interesting read the first time, but I don't think it has much validity to it.

 

[Darkfinn]

It wasn't ever really ment to be anything but fun. I just find it amusing.

 

[Pojo]

There's more to the story...If everyone swore of toilets and jumped into diapers... you would have more water used to clean cloth diapers and more landfill issues. The article doesn't cite any sources and I bet the majority of the people that read it are people like us: into diapers anyways.

It was an interesting read the first time, but I don't think it has much validity to it.

They said it would be better with disposables actually

 

[mizzycub]

Lol. The "I Would do anything i takes" option on the poll is actually winning.

Look at the site. It is for people who REALLY care about the environment. They probably would.

And look at where the link is. We might now become a relatively large contribution on that site. If we don't care about wearing diapers anyway, of course we would do "anything" for the environment, as long as that anything is wearing diapers.

 

[AshleyAshes]

It's probable that less ENERGY is consumed in producing one diaper than the 20L or so of water and processing of water needed to flush the toilet, but I imagine it's not accounting for the 400 or so years the diaper will be in the landfill as well as SPACE used by a used diaper when compared to the space the left over processed material from a sewage treatment plant.

Then there's also the energy resources used to SHIP the diapers from the factory, to the warehouse, to the store, to your house, to the landfil when you're done. City wide plumbing is far more energy efficent due to it's size and that everything is done in a 'bulk' scale.

 

[James]

Wow! I know if i wasn't a tb i doubt i'd wear for the enviroment

 

[Neonite]

Ha. That makes a new excuse.

"I'm wearing these because I'm SAVING THE PLANET! D< You should too!"

XD

 

[Peachy]

Ha. That makes a new excuse.

"I'm wearing these because I'm SAVING THE PLANET! D< You should too!"

XD

Lol - the stereotypical "eco freak" is often portrayed as some dude with a beard and old torn clothes, and people says they smell horrible from not showering daily because they don't want to waste water and pollute it with soap. Adding another smell coming from their diapers probably wouldn't matter then :tongueout:

Peachy

 

[Takashi]

Atleast i'll be able to use this as an excuse if my parents ever find my diaper stash.

 

[Darkfinn]

Atleast i'll be able to use this as an excuse if my parents ever find my diaper stash.

Ya know... print that... the article from Men's health on how diapers help with bowel management... and that other article on how diapers are more sanitary than some public restrooms... you might have a better chance of convincing your parents that you aren't a total nutcase if they ever do find out.

I still think you'd get the same results from them.. but it is worth a shot.

 

[diapeybabybrian]

"Why are you wearing a diaper?!?!!?" "To save the planet".

 

[BabyKat]

There's more to the story...If everyone swore of toilets and jumped into diapers... you would have more water used to clean cloth diapers and more landfill issues.

Now it was referring to disposables, but even if we all went cloth, the water would be comparable, if not better. Think about it. We flush the toilet several times a day. I could easily clean a few diapers with that same water that was just flushed away each time. 20L several times a day, or a load (or maybe 2) of laundry. Especially if you have to go often anyway. And as for landfill issues, yes disposables would kill that, but as you were comparing cloth, they generally last a long time. And as you probably know, anytime that anything is used in a large scale, generally there becomes a lot more competition, and the quality of diapers would go up. Also, just as much we still have to garbage other types of underwear as it stands now, after a while. Not to mention the cleanliness factor, when considering public washrooms. Also when dealing with #2, I read there's apparently like 60% less of the most common cancers in people who are incontinent. (like intestinal, etc.) So there'd be in turn, better diapers, less water usage, cleaner, healthier, maybe a bit more landfill but not too much, and everyone would feel better and less embarrassed if they were incontinent or a bedwetter or something...Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's all bonuses.

EDIT: Hehe, I basically wrote an essay defending that, lol.

 

[Darkfinn]

Actually the problem with cloth diapers isn't the water used to wash them. It is the electricity used to dry them.

Electric clothes dryers are the #1 energy hogging household appliance. I would advocate the use of clothes lines... but hanging clothes outside is actually banned in many cities around here.

 

[BabyKat]

Actually the problem with cloth diapers isn't the water used to wash them. It is the electricity used to dry them.

Electric clothes dryers are the #1 energy hogging household appliance. I would advocate the use of clothes lines... but hanging clothes outside is actually banned in many cities around here.

Oh, why is that? Just wondering. As for electricity, we still need to find alternate forms in and of that itself. But as it stands, I myself only dry half-way in the dryer and have a hang-dryer I let them finish on. Since my new place has washers that only take 25 minutes and dryers that take 1 hour, it works well for me getting two loads in basically. The hang-dryer is just like a stand that clothes literally hang off of, instead of a clothes line, and goes inside instead of outside. I bought it for like $10 at wal-mart.

Oh and another point for water-saving, is that washers are much more efficient now too, easily saving half the water they used to, and also partially tax deductable.

 

[Peachy]

Electric clothes dryers are the #1 energy hogging household appliance. I would advocate the use of clothes lines... but hanging clothes outside is actually banned in many cities around here.

Another nutcase American law! I seriously wonder who came up with that idea...and why. I don't even own a dryer. :tongueout:

Peachy

 

[Darkfinn]

Another nutcase American law! I seriously wonder who came up with that idea...and why. I don't even own a dryer. :tongueout:

Peachy

It was one of those "City beautification" things... like clothes are somehow unsightly when there is trash and graffiti and abandoned cars everywhere. Actually I recently read that residents in several cities are fighting to have the laws removed from the books... citing that it reduces electrical consumption and saves moeny and the environment.

Though I do think it would be kinda funny to drive by a house and see a clothes line full of adult sized cloth diapers.

 

[g6s]

Now it was referring to disposables, but even if we all went cloth, the water would be comparable, if not better. Think about it. We flush the toilet several times a day. I could easily clean a few diapers with that same water that was just flushed away each time. 20L several times a day, or a load (or maybe 2) of laundry. Especially if you have to go often anyway. And as for landfill issues, yes disposables would kill that, but as you were comparing cloth, they generally last a long time. And as you probably know, anytime that anything is used in a large scale, generally there becomes a lot more competition, and the quality of diapers would go up. Also, just as much we still have to garbage other types of underwear as it stands now, after a while. Not to mention the cleanliness factor, when considering public washrooms. Also when dealing with #2, I read there's apparently like 60% less of the most common cancers in people who are incontinent. (like intestinal, etc.) So there'd be in turn, better diapers, less water usage, cleaner, healthier, maybe a bit more landfill but not too much, and everyone would feel better and less embarrassed if they were incontinent or a bedwetter or something...Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's all bonuses.

EDIT: Hehe, I basically wrote an essay defending that, lol.

I actually was comparing the use of all diapers, both cloth and disposable. Cloth bio-degrades quickly so who cares about underwear (which fills up much less than disposable diapers) If you go through 3 cloth diapers a day, you're using more resources than 4 flushes a day, period. Your other stuff is valid but not relating to my first post. If you wanted to combat cancer, try advocating smoking bans in cities rather than mass-usage of diapers. :-D

In the end, the use of diapers will overtax the environment until there are no resources left... (speaking of overtaxing something: have you ever worn a cloth diaper past the first wetting? because it's not the same as disposable)

Diapers are greener only in certain places and a big city isn't one of those places. There's too big a load on landfills and natural resources for major populations to switch lifestyles and if you continue to dig around the site, you'll find articles that agree with me.

Of course, it's just an article by a non-credible source. Who knows the real deal? We can only speculate.

 

[BabyKat]

I actually was comparing the use of all diapers, both cloth and disposable. Cloth bio-degrades quickly so who cares about underwear (which fills up much less than disposable diapers) If you go through 3 cloth diapers a day, you're using more resources than 4 flushes a day, period. Your other stuff is valid but not relating to my first post. If you wanted to combat cancer, try advocating smoking bans in cities rather than mass-usage of diapers. :-D

Yeah, the first part was only pertaining to your point...I just started writing and that's where I ended up. The only real part I quoted you on is the disposable/cloth part, lol.

Cloth underwear bio-degrades quickly, so cloth diapers would too. (umm...yaaah... )

Anyway, I really don't see how 4 flushes uses less resources...And I'm sorry, but maybe I'm small, but I can fit a few more than just 3 in a wash. I could definitely get more than a days worth in there while still making sure they get clean as efficiently and not over-stuffing. I usually fit in a larger adult diaper sized small, or a smaller adult diaper sized medium, depending on the type of diaper and how they are made.


So maybe size would matter in this respect as well. If you use less diapers or are smaller, then it might be better than wasting a flush on you I guess ^_^.

The electricity part is the only thing holding us back really.

And we need to work on our disposables. Because I mean, it's really plastic that doesn't bio-degrade fast. They have environmental friendly baby diapers I saw which is essentially a cloth diaper cover that's waterproof with like a "stuffer" that goes in it...Still the garbage disposal would be bad there in mass quantities.

Oh and pfft...who's to say I don't advocate smoking bans? Don't assume. :laugh: (I was kidding there, but I do by the way...even if I used to be stupid)