Having a baby has also made me much more realistic about how I apply zero-waste principles to my life. It’s reminded me that there are things we can do every day and some things that might be just a bit too hard due to lack of sleep or time. And that’s OK. I started testing cloth diapers after learning that single-use, disposable ones take over 400 years to break down in landfills, leaching methane gas and contributing to the greenhouse effect in the process. Reusable diapers are the more planet-friendly (and affordable) option and I’ve found them to be relatively easy to use—and clean. Here’s the down-and-dirty explanation of how I’ve been washing them: Separating these items from the rest of our washing prevented any cross-contamination, and it was a visual reminder that these items needed a separate hot wash. I bought about 20 diapers and found that I needed to wash them every two to three days. If you want to wash less often, buy more diapers. Pro tip: Hard water is not suitable for washing diapers. If your home has hard water, you’ll need to add a separate water-softening agent to your wash. She is the author of A Zero Waste: In Thirty Days and A Zero Waste Family: In Thirty Days. Anita writes about motherhood, zero waste living, and minimalism on Instagram and her website.
