What is more harmful for the environment, disposable or cloth diapers?

Question

I know it is often stated that disposable diapers are terrible for the environment as they take ages to break down, but what about the chemicals used and energy costs of cleaning cloth diapers? Which one is more or less polluting? Disposables that end up buried in landfills or cloth ones that create more carbon pollution in the air?

Answer 1

well indeed it does take energy, chemicals, and water to clean the cloth material but think about disposable diapers as well.  it takes bleach to make them into a white color, it takes water to make the paper fiber thats part of the diaper, it takes energy to produce and ship it to warehouses and stores.  

even if it takes the same amount of resources for both cloth and disposable diapers, the end result that would tip the favor of cloth diapers is at least it doesnt end up in the landfill like its dispoable counterpart so cloth diapers would mainly b mpre environmentally friendlier overall

Answer 2

the manufacturing of each disposable diaper uses far more energy and water then the simple washing of cloth proctor and gamble (leading malefactors of disposable diapers) made the outrageous clam that disposables use less water and energy during a battle in court, witch led to actual investigations that proved them false.....even as far as the resources involved in disposable (plastics, chemicals, wood pulp) is much more depleting then the the cotton used especally considering the fact that the average cloth diapering family uses only 5 dozen cloth diapers for their entire diapering lifespan.....and while it is said that disposables break down after 50 years..recently during an excavation of a old landfill caped back in the 60s, they uncovered disposables and found them showing no signs of decomposition and are now estimating the age of breakdown to be 200years..        as for your preference of diapers in landfills instead of pollutants in the air ... what about all the extra diesel fumes, involved in the trucking of these things all over the country...or the extra fumes from all the heavy equipment used in the landfills it is estimate that between 1.8-2% of all garbage in landfills are disposable diapers and while 2% doesn't sound like a big number when u look at the grand scheme of things it is truly monumental...

Answer 3

I don't know, nor do i really care. Why don't you ask Al Gore.

He is a moron too.

Answer 4

I think cloth diapers would cause less of an environmental problem.  Though they do have to be washed, conventional diapers do, as you said, take ages to break down.  They are actually one of the things that take up the most space in landfills.  Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of environmentally friendly detergents available that don't harm our planet.

Answer 5

In my opinion, it is disposable diapers. But is hard to quantity the exact environmental damage, as the ultimate disposal is still on land. It will depend on the place, surroundings, are limitations etc.

Answer 6

Cloth dipers are way better then disposibe ones no matter how much you clean them and what not. The disposible ones take too long to break down.

Answer 7

disposable

Answer 8

disposable diapers are worse for the enviornment because thay stay in the landfill for thousands of years and release methane.

Answer 9

A cloth creates little pollution. Just think you can fit thirty cloth diapers or things of its size in a load of laundry and use a cup of soap and a few gallons of water. Thirty diapers is a great bundle with which you can make a bonfire. Thirty diapers are dirtier Ha!