Disposable diapers have a big and very real negative impact on our environment. It will take a great effort from all parties involved to correct this. Governments should provide regulations to ensure that companies are encouraged. To what? To find better alternatives to the current products that they offer. But this cannot be done by governments alone. We as individuals must get involved in this subject and do our part. It may not be easy given the fact that diapers are bought by parents. Parents that are sleep-deprived by definition. Still, if there are alternatives available they will go through the effort.
Introduction
Our impact on the environment can be hard to miss sometimes. Both for good and ill. It is quite graphic, and a picture will often be enough. Some of the effects that we have on this planet are not so evident, but pollution is. Especially the pollution that we perform with garbage. Cities produce an incredible amount of garbage every day. It is not easy to manage it correctly. Add to that the following fact. Many of our disposable products are not biodegradable or recyclable. Now you have a deadly mix. We will take a good look at this subject today. We will discuss the impact that our garbage and diapers have on the environment. We will also discuss possible solutions to this big problem. Solutions that may be implemented by governments and also others that may be practiced by individuals. Let us begin.
Environmental Impact
Let’s start at the beginning. What exactly is this? It is the way we observe negative effects on ecosystems caused by human development in all its forms. This could be caused by the release of substances or materials to the environment. Also by industrial development or human infrastructure. It is the way we affect the world around us in a negative way.
Humans alter their environment to make the most out of it. But when this alteration is destructive we consider that it hurts nature. This could mean that nature is not able to sustain proper balance. Also that certain natural habitats and conditions are unable to continue to exist. The depletion of natural resources falls within this category as well. There are many ways in which we can help mitigate this adverse effect. We will cover some of them further down. Let’s go over the negative impact that disposable diapers have on the environment first.
Production
The methods of production for disposable diapers are not eco-friendly. It takes a huge amount of non-renewable energy to create the number of diapers that we consume globally today. This production chain will spend great amounts of resources to fulfill our demand. So this is the first place where diapers negatively impact the environment. There are options available to mitigate this. It is not easy to change the means of production of any given item, though. Diapers are not the exception here. It will take considerable effort on companies and regulations from governments to see a change. One that makes an impact in this regard, that is.
Chemicals
Regular disposable diapers use a lot of chemicals. They need them to produce the different components of the diaper itself. Some very toxic chemicals are employed to absorb a baby’s pee. It is great to have it not spill, but that comes at a price. That is having to use materials that are not great for the environment.
Landfill space
This is a big deal. Diapers take up a lot of space in current landfills. Since they are not biodegradable that space is taken for up to five hundred years. There are alternatives to be found in current markets. We will cover them bellow, but they are not in a state to solve the problem yet. Landfills are a huge concern when it comes to ecology efforts. There is no clear solution on the horizon for them. If we stopped the production of non-degradable garbage today we would still have a problem. These landfills would take hundreds or thousands of years to be re-absorbed by the soil. Finding a solution to this is urgent, and diapers are part of the problem for the time being.
Global warming
Measuring the impact that a given fact may or may not have on global warming can be hard. It is something that is not easy to measure. That doesn’t mean that the impact is not there, though. Diapers have a huge footprint on ecosystems around the world. This fact alone makes them a player in global warming. They should be kept in mind about this issue.
Possible solutions
There are a few alternatives that are being tried. They should help reduce the impact of diapers on the environment. One such alternative is biodegradable diapers. They have been on the market for a few years. They are often quite effective as diapers, so quality is not a concern. The problem with these is that to be re-absorbed they must go to a composting facility. If that is not the case their impact on the ecosystem is virtually the same as the regular ones. Efforts are being made by companies to make sure that these diapers end up where they have to. But this is an effort that must be made by all the involved parties. Companies must help this, but users should make sure that it happens by taking an active role. This can be hard because users, in this case, are parents of a newborn. If you are a parent you know that time and energy are not things that you have in excess during this period of your life.