Environment

• An estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers are consumed every year in the United States
  
  
• A single disposable diaper may take 250 to 500 years to decompose (1)
  
  
• Over 92% of all single-use disposable diapers end up in a landfill (2)
  
  
• Disposable diaper use contributes to 1 ton of garbage containing untreated human waste per baby to landfills (4)
  
  
• Over 300 lbs of wood, 50 lbs of petroleum feedstock and 20 lbs of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for ONE baby EACH year (3)
  
  
• Disposable diapers make up the 3rd largest single consumer item in our waste system – following newspapers and beverage containers (1)
  
  
• In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste (1)

1 Link, Ann. Disposable nappies: a case study in waste prevention. April 2003. Women's Environmental Network.

2 Lehrburger, Carl. 1988. Diapers in the Waste Stream: A review of waste management and public policy issues. 1988. Sheffield, MA: self-published.

3 Lehrburger, C., J. Mullen and C.V. Jones. 1991. Diapers: Environmental Impacts and Lifecycle Analysis. Philadelphia, PA: Report to The National Association of Diaper Services (NADS).

4 Flug, Rachael; Top Ten Environmental Reasons for Choosing Cloth Diapers; http://diaperaps.com/home/dp1/environment_main.html