Baby Diaper Service: Join the cloth diapering community

Organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund, Women’s Environmental Network (in both the US and the UK), Washington Environmental Council, Connecticut General Assembly, and the Environmental Action Foundation have all come to the same conclusion—cotton diapers are far better for the environment than disposables. Consider that the 18 billion disposables that end up in American landfills each year use 3.5 billion gallons of oil to produce. The price of oil does not appear to be diminishing, and our dependence on it does nothing to lessen oil’s impact on the environment our children will inherit.

“Parents are looking at the current realities that we as a society are facing and realizing that throwing a diaper away after only an hour’s use does not necessarily make good environmental sense,” says Mark Stief, owner of Baby Diaper Service. “When a parent discovers that mainstream disposable diapers take two-thirds of a cup of petroleum to manufacture, that it is illegal to throw unrinsed diapers away, and that all of Seattle’s disposable diapers are shipped out of state for disposal—these same parents question the wisdom of single-use diapers.”

With wider access to the Internet, parents are becoming more educated consumers. Articles on the health and environmental impact of disposables versus cloth diapers are readily available, and online communities such as the Real Diaper Association (RDA) are making strides to educate and motivate new parents to explore their diapering options.

The National Association of Diaper Services is an organization dedicated to promoting the health and environmental benefits of using cotton diapers rather than disposables. They constantly monitor the laundering and sanitation practices of their members with rigorous testing, requiring that members adhere to strict hygiene standards.

Locally, we are fortunate to have Baby Diaper Service, which is happy to be a member of the National Association of Diaper Services. Baby Diaper Service has been providing Washington’s babies with a convenient and healthy alternative to disposables for generations. Owner Mark Stief is proud to give local parents the opportunity to enjoy this service. He says, “We were thanked by a new parent just yesterday for providing this valuable service to parents in this area. It really left an impression on me to think that what we do has such a significant impact on so many lives.”

With people becoming interested in cloth diapers as a more healthful and financially sound choice, online communities are growing in number. Organizations such as the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) reach out to cloth diaper users with an aim to change people’s attitudes toward cloth diapering—both locally and globally—through education and awareness. The RDA has also begun the process of creating Diaper Circles, giving parents the opportunity to meet other cloth diaper users and pool knowledge and resources.

Explore your diapering options and open the door to the wider cloth-diapering community by supporting a more environmentally-responsible culture. Every child who uses cloth diapers keeps one ton of non-biodegradable waste from being added to a landfill. Be a part of the change, one diaper at a time.