Cross-posted from the livejournal because it has babystuff in it, and because I'm hoping some of the d-land readers will have some insight as to what we should do.
Working from home is good for the soul. I get cute office drama updates via email periodically rather than being involved myself... Lots more work gets done when it's just me and the musical flavour of the day. (today we're reminiscing with Tori Amos songs that we didn't like when my little sister made me listen to them, but ten years later they make my heart pitter)
Working from home also leads to interesting experiences. Conversations with the neighbours about the state of the butternut vines that have snuck into their yard (holy crow are they getting fed!), talk with the window repair guys about the ways that different types of wood swell in summer humidity.
And then the doorbell rang, and I met the best door-to-door girl in my short experience, she came to tell us about the green composting bins that are being established in our neighbourhood in mid-October.
And that's when we had the diaper conversation.
Y'see, I/we'd always just assumed we'd use cloth diapers. Since our area has a biodegradeable cleaning service (unfortunately most services use so many chemical products to clean diapers that they're as bad for the environment as the disposables!), we figured we were set and the path to righteousness was clear.
And then this young lady appears at my door with her environmental engineering degree, pamphlets in hand, to explain how to use the green bins, and she says that besides meat and certain other wastes that I can't compost in my own backyard compost, I can also put dirty disposables in there.
So I ask: "Despite that this is a free service, tell me your honest opinion -- which is still better for the environment, if I'm still willing to spend money on cloth diapers?"
"Recycling disposables" she said, citing that whole chemicals thing.
And now, I'm confused. How come doing the right thing is always so much more complicated?
Dammit, I should have asked her about sanitary napkins, too. Imagine if I could assuage the guilt of the monthly disposable dumping? (yes, I've stared the keeper in the face for two years now, as well as other re-usable menstruation products. I'm still working up the courage...)
Wow.
So -- what's the right thing to do after all?