Did you know that regular diapers take around 500 years to decompose?
Unfortunately, per a year, trash cans have more than 18 billion disposable diapers waiting to be transported into the landfills. This number is only for the US. So, you can imagine how bigger the number is for the entire world.
Since the average baby will need around 3000 diapers per year or more than 7300 diapers during their years of wearing diapers, scientists are focused on discovering less harmful alternatives; it’s not just plastic which is problematic, but also chemicals present inside these diapers which are bad for our environment and for the air we breathe.
Scientists are focused on making decomposable diapers that contain less bad stuff and more natural things.
It’s High Time for a Change If We Want a Cleaner Planet
According to Philip Owen who works with the conservation group Geasphere, disposable diapers are an urgent environmental issue particularly where the removal services are limited or don’t exist.
Sergio Radovcic, the CEO of the diaper subscription company Dyper, decided to offer a compostable version.
He says how after his second child, he and his wife started realizing the immense amount of waste they were making from the diapers that were stacking up fast.
He founded the company in 2018 and they offer home delivery of a month’s supply of diapers for only $68. The diapers are made of bamboo, a sustainable material.
They’re not the sole company using this material as an alternative to other fibers.
Using bamboo and removing the usage of alcohol, perfumes, lotions, etc. made the diapers compostable and better for the planet.
However, the infrastructure to compost the diapers on their own isn’t enough in the US and elsewhere in the world.
Dyper decided to make their own.
Dyper Partners with TerraCycle, to Make Compostable Diapers Accessible
Together with TerraCycle, a recycling company from New Jersey, Dyper created their compostable diaper service named Redyper.
Namely, the caregivers who use the service for which they have to pay additional $39 are given biodegradable bags to put the diapers in and a cardboard box made according to the HAZMAT shipping standards.
They can hold 2 to 3 weeks of diapers.
Then, they can print a label and schedule the bag to be picked up by UPS.
TerraCycle first checks them in and aggregates the diapers before moving them into a compost facility where they’re put in hot compost.
Depending on the mixture, it takes around 3 to 6 months to be safe for vegetation growth purposes. Still, because of fear of leftover pathogens, Radovcic explains how this compost isn’t used for fruit and veggie production intended for human use.
Currently, this service is only accessible in the US; however, they plan on expanding in Amsterdam, other parts of Europe, as well as in Asia.
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