I don't know if this is in your wheelhouse, but I have a diaper question. We use cloth diapers, but our youngest daughter has gastrointestinal issues that result in frequent and severe diapers rashes. I purchased some liners to allow us to use her diaper rash cream with the cloth diapers (instead of switching to disposable all the time), and I'm wondering if they're compostable, as they claim on the label. They're 100% bamboo rayon, but I don't really know much about that material. I'd love to be able to put them in our curbside compost bin.

First, my sympathies to your daughter (and you) for the discomfort that is diaper rash. Eco-minded parents go to great lengths to compare different types of diapers to find the best option for their kiddos, and it's not easy.

Thank you for considering the environmental impact of diapers because, as you know, a lot of disposable diapers are huge waste generators.

However, there are no disposable diapers or liners that are compostable, regardless of what the packaging says, and I'm here to tell you why.

While the clean liners might be made of compostable materials (and you will know that if it says "BPI certified compostable" on the label), once that baby poop or urine hits it, it is not suitable for traditional curbside composting.

Industrial composting operations that accept compost from residential programs like ours in Longmont or throughout Boulder County do not get organic material hot enough to kill the bacteria and pathogens that can live in poop from humans. Pet wastes cannot be composted for the same reason. So please do not put any kind of disposable diapers or liners in the compost cart at your home, no matter what they're made from, and no matter the claim on the packaging.

Not that you'd consider doing this, Eco-Mom, but while we're talking about disposable diapers and liners, I'd like to take the opportunity to point out that they most certainly do not go in the recycling bin, either.

Unfortunately, we occasionally see diapers mixed in with recyclables at the Boulder County Recycling Center. This is also extremely problematic because Eco-Cycle workers at the BCRC sort out unrecyclable materials by (gloved) hand, and it is important we protect their health and do not expose them to biohazards of any kind.

Who knows why a recycler would consider putting a dirty diaper in the recycling bin, but as you point out, Eco-Mom, labeling can often be misleading and confusing.

Here's an issue that has been giving recyclers and industrial composters headaches for decades: Brands often claim their products are recyclable or compostable, even though they are not. Products are only recyclable or compostable if your local facilities accept them, and not just if some niche compost facility somewhere experimenting with taking "compostable diapers" takes them from 1% of the population.

To be clear, there is no such facility in our area and all disposable diapers must go in the trash.

The confusion caused by misleading labeling is due largely to the fact that there aren't strong labeling policies in place to ensure that products are actually recyclable or compostable. However, in 2021 California passed a "truth in labeling" law, SB 343, which cracks down on the misuse of the "chasing arrows" recycling symbol. Policies like these are an important step to make these false claims — or "greenwashing" — a thing of the past.

Since disposable diapers must go in the trash, limiting the disposable nature of the diaper by keeping with reusables and only using disposable liners helps cut down on diaper waste significantly. So you're already doing a great deed there.

I've consulted some of your fellow eco-moms at Eco-Cycle, and they provided a couple of recommendations. One is that there are multiple reusable diaper brands on the market that come with removable, reusable liners you can switch out frequently without replacing the entire diaper, and they say that has helped dramatically with keeping baby dry and free of diaper rash.

They also say that they have used diaper ointment with these liners and have been able to wash it out in their normal diaper washing. I hope that parent-to-parent eco-tip is useful to you.

Have Zero Waste questions? Want to become a volunteer Eco-Leader? Let us know at Rosie@ecocycle.org.

One of the girl's family members jumped in the water and beat the shark off of her until she was free, officials said.

Story at a glance Plastic pollution is one of the more pressing issues for conservationists and environmentalists alike. Researchers in Sweden harvested a byproduct of plastic disposal and used it to create a new sustainable plastic. By incentivizing collection of this byproduct, experts hope to scale the process and create a more sustainable plastic recycling…

As Lake Mead shrinks after almost two decades of severe drought, accumulated items on the lakebed are being exposed.

The bill states that 30% of plastic items sold or bought be recyclable by 2028 and economic responsibility falls to producers

Most rainbows are colorful and vibrant, but not this one. A rare white rainbow, also known as a ghost rainbow or a fogbow, was captured on video arcing over the skies of Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China, on June 29. The vivid fogbow clearly stands out amid the fog bank lingering in the skies over the Chinese city, which is located in the country's north along the Russian border. The bright blue skies contrast against the bright white fogbow, and the partly sunny conditions in the fogbow's bac

It is the second such incident in three days in the US park.

The legislation heads off what would be a costly and contentious ballot measure and pushes California ahead of the world in the fight against plastic waste.

The transaction to donate Powderhorn Ranch conserves one of the state’s largest “unspoiled coastal prairies in Texas."

The rust-colored tower rising from an industrial site near the banks of Berlin's Spree river looks nothing like the sleek flasks Germans use for coffee, yet its purpose is similar: to provide some warmth throughout the day, especially when it's cold outside. With a height of 45 meters (almost 150 feet) and holding up to 56 million liters (14.8 million gallons) of hot water, utility company Vattenfall says the tower will help heat Berlin homes this winter even if Russian gas supplies dry up. “It's a huge thermos that helps us to store the heat when we don’t need it,” said Tanja Wielgoss, who heads the Sweden-based company's heat unit in Germany.

America’s longest native snake is slithering its way to a comeback. It's good news... we promise!

The plant has generated thousands of complaints to DHEC.

The woman shakily recorded the interaction at a Tennessee cabin and shared it on TikTok.

California cities have a slew of restrictions to save water amid the extreme drought. Here's what is happening in Ventura County.

Sheetz recently announced a price drop on some of its gas. Is it safe to use?

Distilled water is water that has been boiled into steam, then reverted back to a liquid, removing all positive and negative minerals from the water.

Not everyone thinks this fish should be considered a record breaker.

Breaking our fossil fuel addiction will help the climate and have a positive effect on the price of food and other goods.

Heavy rain is possible along portions of the Texas coast for the next two days and could affect travel.

A frightening scene played out on Thursday in Keaton Beach, off the Gulf Coast in northwestern Florida, after a young girl was attacked by a shark.

Some critics warn that new inlets in the Lagoon could risk changing the ecology of the lagoon while pushing pollution south, eventually onto beaches.