|
Environmental Facts
On issues such as solid waste, total energy use and water consumption, diaper service cotton
diapers are softer on the environment than either home-washed cotton diapers or, more importantly, single-use, disposable diapers. The comprehensive study from Lehrburger- Mullen-Jones
reached this conclusion:
"Disposable diapers are shown to generate significantly more solid
waste, (and) to consume greater quantities of energy and raw materials on a per-diaper-change basis."
This
study, hailed by environmentalists around the country, analyzed diapers from production to use to disposal. It indicated that single-use diapers contribute over seven times as much solid
waste as reusable cotton diapers. Also, the study found that
"Commercially laundered cotton diapers use one-half the energy of home washed and one-third the energy of disposable diapers. Home laundering uses 2.5 times as much net water per
diaper change than diaper service."
Due to efficient
equipment use and economies of scale, diaper services have lower resource and environmental impacts than either home-washed or disposable diapers.
|