No-Landfill Diapering

Everyone I know is pregnant! Or so it seems. Recently, I've received a lot of questions about our diapering methods. There are a lot of choices out there, and what we use is at the intersection of convenient and affordable. Hopefully this overview can serve as a way to navigate the no-landfill diapering landscape. 

Here's what we do:

When we are in the house, we use cloth diapers. We pair the thickest ply organic Gerber prefolds with Diaper Safari covers. Both products are available on Amazon. The Gerber prefolds hold up amazingly well over many, many trips through the washer, and the Diaper Safari covers have lots of snaps so they grow with baby from infancy to toddlerhood. We used to use Econobum covers, but they didn't have internal pockets. Internal pockets are key. 

We have two pails in the garage. The one for the dirty cloth diapering system elements has a laundry bag liner so the pail itself doesn't get too gross. We wash the liner every time we wash the diapers and covers. We have ten diaper covers and thirty cloth prefolds. We have to wash the diapers every few days. 

Note: You don't have to change the cover every time you change the diaper. Just change it when it gets soiled. 

We also have a wet bag that we use for the cloth diapers (if we do use them when we are out and about) as well as the compostable diapers, since they need to be disposed of properly. 

We put the wet bag in with the diaper load, too. 

We use our regular washing machine with a bit of mild, unscented soap to wash everything. No fabric softener. 

Note: Don't dry the diaper covers! They will not retain their waterproofing over time with too much heat exposure. Place them on a drying rack instead. Just dry the cloth prefolds. 

We always run the smallest cycle empty after we wash a load of diapers. We put about a quarter cup of vinegar into the empty load and it prevents the next load of regular washing from being gross. 

For naps, nights, and outings, we use Tiny Tots diaper service in Campell. We use Aleva compostable wipes and Bambo compostable diapers. We have tried a few different brands of compostable wipes and diapers, and this combination has emerged as the best quality. 

Tiny Tots provides a once-a-week pickup and drop off service. They have a facility that can process human waste. DO NOT TRY TO PUT SOILED COMPOSTABLE DIAPERS IN THE MUNICIPAL GREENWASTE BINS! The service is essential to properly compost the used diapers. The second bin in the photo above has a compostable bag liner (also available from Tiny Tots).  A bin that locks shut is key to keeping odors at bay between pickups. 

Some of the daycares we have used will diaper a child in cloth, and others will not. In the cases where we could not use cloth at daycare, we used compostables. We have only had one nanny experience, but she was willing to use cloth diapers. It's good to check in advance if you have a strong personal preference for cloth diapering. 

No matter which type of diapers you use, the good thing is that eventually, all kids learn to use the potty and the diaper issue fades away. Until you reach that finish line, happy diapering, all!

Journey to Ox Mountain

I had an opportunity to take a trip today that interested me both professionally and personally.

I received an invitation for a work "field trip" to visit the power plant at the Ox Mountain landfill in Half Moon Bay.  Ox Mountain is the sole landfill in San Mateo County.  Although Palo Alto isn't in San Mateo County, it has a special partnership with the landfill because Ox Mountain houses a gas-powered electricity generating power plant, fueled by methane released from the landfill waste. Two municipal utilities, in Palo Alto and Alameda, purchase this power.  In Palo Alto, it accounts for about 5% of the total electric power provided to all customers.

This was my first power plant tour, and I felt so lucky that what I got to see was such a nonstandard production model - useful and sustainable.

The methane is released from the landfill via a series of about 180 individual wells. Ameresco, the company that manages the power plant's production, takes a series of precautions to prevent fugitive gasses from escaping during the extraction process.

Here is the outside of the Ameresco facility, atop a beautiful hill on Ox Mountain.

Here is the view from the facility. In the second photo, the edge of the active landfill is visible.

It was super foggy!  When I left Palo Alto, it was about 80F outside.  Thirty minutes away, at the Ox Mountain site, it was 58F outside.  I probably should have packed a jacket.

Inside of the facility, a series of GE Jenbacher engines power the heart of the operation.  It was incredibly hot and incredibly loud (headphones required) in the engine room.

After viewing the power plant, the tour moved to the landfill, which was the most interesting element to me on a personal level.  Finally, after my years of zero waste efforts, I was going to see MY OWN LANDFILL!  The one I have worked so diligently to avoid sending any trash to (which is kind of ironic, but just a little bit, now that I see how the trash is being used to produce "green" electricity). 

I'll condense my reaction to seeing the landfill to a series of bullet points.  Otherwise, I might ramble on forever.

-Ox Mountain is beautiful

-Ox Mountain is really cold and really foggy

-The landfill is massive

-It costs $17,000 per month to keep seagulls out of the trash.  The methods are pretty interesting: a noise gun, dogs, and falcons.  I saw all three in action.

It was so gratifying to stand at the edge of the landfill and have a concrete image of why I have worked so hard to reduce the waste I produce.

As we stood at the edge of the landfill and looked down at it, the tour guide, who was a very pleasant but unexpected mix of Al Gore and ZZ Top, said "Look down there.  We're all in there together.  All of us." And he's right.