Treehugger: Eco-Tip: Nappies and Diapers

Treehugger: Eco-Tip: Nappies and Diapers: "home-washing cloth diapers has only 53% of the ecological footprint of disposables. But of greater interest to us, as advocates of Product Service Systems (PSS), is that a nappy laundry service has a mere 37% of that footprint. In the middle of the debate are biodegradable nappies. These are formed with plant based plastics and under the right conditions will compost. However landfills just don’t offer the right conditions. They are so full of mixed waste, that no self-respecting micro-organism would be seen near one. (Once read about newspapers that were extracted from a New York landfill, during an archelogical dig. Been there over 25 years and were still legible!). If you have to use disposables, then selecting a truly biodegradable option is preferable, but don’t be disillusioned into thinking they will somehow go on to make a rich loamy soil. Alas not."