NOT-SO DISPOSABLE DIAPERS

Abstract

For more than a decade, the disposable diaper has been a symbol of contemporary child care. Today it is emerging as a symbol of the nation's garbage crisis. More than 16 billion diapers, containing an estimated 2.8 million tons of excrement and urine, are dumped each year into a dwindling number of landfills around the nation. Like almost everything else in landfills, the diapers' impact on public health and the environment is unknown. It's a perfect case where we're using a disposable product that costs more than a re-usable product, is more environmentally dangerous and uses up nonrenewable resources.