On 4/17/2014 5:41 PM, Andrew Fildes wrote:
> 1. Disposables aren't disposable unless someone changed the law while I
> wasn't looking. It's not legal in most places to put 'night soil' in the
> garbage. The packaging never used to claim 'disposable'. We just call them
> that. And they are a nasty litter problem too.
I have no idea what the law is here. And as my younger son is almost 33, it's
been some time since I had the full
immersion experience. Still, I can't imagine where else people are putting
them. Can you?
There are always plenty of laws that simply aren't enforced, some because they
are silly, some because enforcement in
impractical, and so on. Ours mostly went in our own garbage, back then.
This thread is bringing back memories - long buried. There was that incident at
Marine World. I have no idea how there
was anything left of the baby, given the volume of astonishingly noxious
material that burst through the elastics. I'm
sure a video taken from above of a particular trash can would have shown some
interesting behavior as people approached,
then avoided it.
> 2. It would be possible to make them compostable using a biodegradable pad
> and biodegradable plastic film made from cornstarch. But the same
> universalised hygiene concerns apply - daft to a rural inhabitant but
> significant to urban apartment dwellers.
I've idly wondered about that. What if it all too quickly degrades, in response
to what it contains?
> 3. Who is thinking? Water is recyclable, front loaders use a lot less of it,
> dry them on a line for most of the year down your way, use eco-friendly low
> phosphate detergents.
We did that with the first one, although 43 years ago, front loading home
machines may not have existed. I don't recall
them. The plain cloth diapers are great later as by then incredibly soft, lint
free rags.
> Even a pick-up service is better.
Tried that with #2. Something in the washing process gave my wife a terrible
rash. We were both working more than full
time - wash it ourselves wasn't an option.
> 4. People get silly about water saving. Are you in drought (as we sometimes
> are)?
Yup, here again this year.
> A woman where I worked suggested that people used one of those sanitary hand
> washes I the staff bathroom
Not really a "wash", though, more an anti-bacterial rinse. Leaves the dirt
there, but kills some of the bacteria that
may be in it. It appears that the tide may have turned here, where it is now
relatively easy to get non anti-bacterial
liquid hand soap. Probably not enough to save us from extinction by some super
bug we've bred ourselves, by insisting on
anti-biotic everything.
> (which she and her squad had thoughtfully placed on the sinks) to 'save
> water' for environmental reasons. I raised a hand and asked how much water
> was used to make the bottle it came in and the alcohol base of the product. I
> said I wasn't sure but I suspected that it was in the order of five times the
> amount of water that they'd save.
You may have exaggerated? How does one tell? A helluva research project. But
you did a good service.
> And far more could be saved if they didn't flush the toilet if they'd only
> had a pee.
Seems everyone hereabouts knows about that. But without signs, it's tough to
know the protocol in public places. Will
the next person, who saw me coming out, be grossed out, or thank me for saving
water?
> Didn't make me popular but the silly little bottles disappeared. I can't
> stand stupid.
That must make you life harder than it might otherwise be. :-)
> 5. The killer argument is always money. We saved enough money using cloth
> with our first over the two years to pay for the washing machine. The initial
> outlay for good quality diapers/nappies (which lasted for the second child
> and then became good cleaning cloths for a while) was a slight minus. The
> labour of air drying was offset by the lack of shopping and struggling home.
> There was a small cost in using a service when there was no choice and a few
> carefully disposed 'disposables' when travelling.
> 6. The main downside is the initial cleaning but, you have to wipe their
> little arses anyway so how much extra unpleasantness is that? Some women have
> claimed to me that they can't manage in the first, exhausted period after
> birth but isn't that what husbands/partners are for? I was.
As I said, I got my first training at 9. Done an uncountable number since. But
none lately, as my youngest granddaughter
is now 13. If the younger kids don't produce any, maybe I'll be off the hook.
By the time it's great grandkids, I should
be old enough to not be expected to do it.
Done My Share Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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