Reduce Reuse Recycle

The Ultimate Green Baby Is The One Who Isn't 'Using' The Diaper They Are Wearing!

EC: LESS Diapers is Great News for Earth...

Reduce Your Overall Diaper Use by Practicing a Little Elimination Communication With Your Baby.

Being Part Time Diaper Free has the potential to make a noticeable impact on the amount of diaper related waste going into landfill and taking up your time with managing it all.

When you start looking into it, the three "R's", Reduce, Reuse and Recycle apply in many ways to the gentle practice of Elimination Communication, and you also get the bonus of a new understanding of your baby's needs and communication.

Recycling is great - reducing and reusing are better.

The Many 'R's' of Elimination Communication...

Consider these ideas:

Reduce...

• Reduce your use of diapers by just one per day...
• Reduce your changing of poopy diapers by 'catching' them in a baby potty, bucket or the loo!
• Reduce your need for diapers, diaper bags, diaper creams, baby wipes...
• Reduce your overall reliance on diapers by having a more casual approach to using them by practicing EC...
• Reduce your dependence on disposable products as you'll have more money to spend on re-usable options when dabbling in EC...
• Reduce the risk of diaper rash as you are confident in managing diaper-free time and are learning to carry a part time diaper free baby around at home.
• Reduce the money you are spending on disposable diapers.

Reuse...

• Reuse, for several hours, then at times all day long, diapers that stay dry and clean  - just like knickers!
• Reuse cloth wipes.
• Reuse flannels again and again.
• Reuse washable diapers over and over...
• Reuse washable EC mats...
• Reuse your EC gear for your next baby (and with the money you will have saved you can get some special new gear)

Recycle...

• Recycle old towels into EC Mats or boosters for EC undies, to line diaper covers as easy quick-change diapers.
• Recycle old t-shirts into soft wipes.
• Buy recycled 'reclaimed fabric' wipes at Flannel Fings.
• Recycle 'reclaimed' bed mats from Valethics.
• Buy 'Gently Used' Cloth Diapers from the online auction places popping up.
• Recycle - Swap, Sell or Buy your 'Pre-Worn' EC Gear via EC Swap Yahoo Group
• Recycle your old denim jeans into cool 'upstyled' fashions for your kids with help from You Can Make This! (Look at the category called 'made from jeans'

Remove...

• Remove the sheer bulk of disposable diaper waste from your household rubbish as you slowly use less diapers.
• Remove the bulk of diapers that currently fill up your washing machine - down to a manageable level.
• Remove some of the sources of chemicals from your home.

Repair or Renew...

• replace spent hook and loop tape with snaps or poppers
• attach a colourful applique patch - either by sewing or iron-on to refresh and give a new feel to your washable diapers or EC Pants for a new baby
• dye natural fabrics for a new colour boost (and a fun afternoon dyeing)
• sew on a button and continue to use.

What About Precycling?

Precycling is the practice of reducing waste by attempting to avoid bringing into the home 'things' which will generate waste. Precycling includes any attempts to reduce the production of waste.

By Being Part Time Diaper Free, You are Practicing Precycling!

Precycling includes such practices as:

• buying consumables in bulk to reduce packaging,
• buying consumables in recyclable packaging over non-recyclable packages,
• avoiding junk mail,
• using electronic media for reading materials, (especially throwaway items such as magazines or newspapers.)

When considering the original three 'R's' for waste management, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," Precycling, like practicing elimination communication, emphasises "reducing and reusing".

Even though recycling is a tangible way to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills, it still requires large amounts of energy to process and then re-manufacture items, which continues to send large amounts of pollution into the air, so long-term it is not a 'sustainable' answer to the problem of waste.

How could you be 'precycling' when practicing EC?

• By using 'reusable' versions of accessories such as wipes, wet bags, and of course the diapers, EC pants and training pants themselves as often as you can. (ANY reduction is GOOD!)
• By carrying with you a "Precycling Kit" when you are outside of your home, such as creating your own 'Very Portable Potty System' (VPPS), carrying a small potty with you in the car and using:
• A terry flat cloth diaper for general baby spills.
• Cloth Diapers.
• Cloth wipes dampened in a small wet bag.
• A Wet Bag for used (wet) items.
• A glass jar for storing pees from the potty until an appropriate disposal place is available.
• All items might be carried in a cloth bag that can double as a shopping bag. Large Wet Bags are great for carrying a baby potty and your VPP System around.

When you are part time diaper free you are embracing the 'Green' movement, caring for our environment by practicing EC and the 3 'R's' of Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, and perhaps best of all, reducing through 'Precycling' and avoiding using some of those diapers at all.

Remember: The most environmentally friendly diaper is the one you don't use - even if your baby is wearing it!

Do you have some more ideas for me to add to this page? Insights into how we are reusing, recycling, repairing, precycling or reducing while practicing EC? Please, contact me and let me know, I like to continue adding valuable insights and links.

To discover 12 ways you can become greener in your diaper choices, options you can make a difference with even now and then - before you even start to practice any EC, come inside to see the 7 Secrets.. your membership is free, and you'll have lifetime access to that part of the Members-Only area of Tribal Baby...

Information about Going Green: Reducing, Reusing and Recycling and environmental sustainability. 

Mother Earth News

EcoCycle: Working to build zero-waste communities

The Earth Day Network

Wiki on the Waste Hierarchy...

Learning more about using a baby potty:

Read more about my unique online learning experience, Part Time Diaper Free. by clicking here.