Better Than Disposable Diapers

Cloth diapers are a better choice than disposable diapers for many reasons. Evidence shows that cloth diapers cause less harmful effects on the environment and on children than disposable diapers. Cloth diapers also cost less money. Disposable diapers are mass produced in order to make a large profit and contain many harmful chemicals. Disposable diapers pose a great threat on the environment. After they are used the diapers are thrown away and eventually make their way into a landfill. The cost of moving these diapers to the landfill costs thousands of dollars each year. Once in the landfill, parts of them will remain there forever because most of the products in a disposable diaper do not ever decompose completely. They contain polyethylene plastic as a moisture barrier between the …show more content…
The plastic will never decompose. It takes about 1 cup of crude oil to make the plastic for one diaper. With as many disposable diapers as Americans use, just think about all the oil we are wasting. With the limited gasoline issues we are having, it is imperative that we find a different way to diaper our children. The organic matter, including the human waste within the diaper will eventually breakdown, but never completely because decomposition requires light, water, and air. As trash piles up they become covered and will never be exposed to these elements. Diapers that are labeled as "bio-degradable" cannot break down either because they will never receive the necessary light, and air. The amount of Americans that choose disposable diapers is about 93%. That is 7.6 billion pounds of diapers being added to landfills each year. Also, some diaper waste ends up in the ocean and will never be completely recovered. These disposable diapers are made of plastic, wood pulp, and other chemicals such as chlorine. The wood pulp used to create the outside of the diaper is a non-sustainable substance,