Eco-Disposable Diapers

Nobody makes eco-disposable diapers in the U.S. — Seventh Generation diapers come close, but according to a company representative, they are not fully biodegradable. The trouble is the outer liner of disposables is always some kind of plastic. The only commercially available, fully biodegradable, disposable diaper is the Swedish “Nature Boy & Girl” diaper which, instead of a using plastic liner, uses a GM free corn starch-based film. This means the diapers are compostable — they are sold online at Nurture Center.

There are also several brands of non-fully biodegradable, eco-disposable diapers available from Europe, such as Tushies, Moltex and Bambo.

Moltex are bleach free, with no lotions, perfumes or deodorants, and Tushies are a gel-free disposable with a cotton and wood pulp padding of high natural absorbency and again, no perfumes or lotions. Bambo is the new and more affordable eco-disposable diaper (pictured here) — a pack of 30 costs about £4.59 ($8.60). Bambo diapers have a starch based absorbent core (less gel), they are oxygen bleached, free from lotions and perfumes, have latex free waist band and cuffs, and have a Nordic Swan eco certification. They are available from Beaming Baby.

9 thoughts on “Eco-Disposable Diapers”

  1. I used cloth with my first one here in MD and looking forward to using them again this time as well (after the first month in eco-friendly disposables).
    Droughts, really? Here in MD? With humidity close to 100% in summer… And besides, a weekly diaper laundry for one baby uses as much water as this baby will use to flush the toilet 5 times a day after pottytraining. Moms, please, do your research first before making a decision. And dads too of course 🙂 And you can try cloth diapers for couple weeks and send them back if you don’t like them. Many stores have this trial option for the cost of using disposables for a week. Or a diaper service if you are lucky to have one, we don’t. Just don’t dismiss the idea before trying to find out more than a disposable diaper company sponsored article would tell you.
    And if you are struggling with money they are a much cheaper option too. I bought the majority of mine used. And there are charities like Rebecca Foundation that give used cloth diapers for free to those who need them. I plan to donate all my used diaper to them after my second one pottytrains.

  2. The only problem with completely biodegradable disposables is that they cannot be thrown away in a normal landfill. To biodegrade, they need air, and once they get squished into a big pile in a landfill, air would be pretty hard to come by.

    I wouldn’t use cloth diapers in Maryland (US), since we tend to have droughts during the summer.

    1. Droughts when people water their lawns twice as much, at least here across the river in Alexandria. I wouldn’t use disposables anywhere, believe or not, they stink compared to the cloths!

  3. If you want to be truly metaefficient, you should use reusable nappies (diapers for the US readership). Even with the extra washing required, the net resource use is much lower, and they end up being a lot cheaper too.

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