@chaski Said
Ok...
Disposable Diapers vs Reusable (i.e. Laundered) Diapers.
Yes... disposable diapers take a long time to breakdown. But the "breaking down" is occurring in a dump site.
On the other hand, the soap that is used to clean Reusable (i.e. Laundered) Diapers is toxic to the environment and gets dumped straight in to the local environment. Depending on where you live, that poison typically goes into your ground water, streams, rivers, ocean.
The only greater example of a massively successful commercial lie is that margarine is better for you than butter. Margarine is basically a poison that the human body cannot break down, butter is natural. Any negative butter has can be over come by regular exercise.
Anyway, the idea that Reusable (i.e. Laundered) Diapers are better for the environment is a complete lie.
What about the manufacturing process of disposable diapers?
Of course then we have to consider the manufacture of the cloth diaper and soap, as well.
How many times can a cloth diaper be used? And then even after it's no longer viable for baby's bottom, it's a great garage rag!
Then up the ante by using "organic"/"environmentally safe" soap (assuming you find one that is not just a marketing label) and consider I've seen some studies that the "organics" don't clean as well as the harsh chemicals.
And the more recent studies that the "hyper-cleaning" of our households and lifestyles could be partially to blame for the increased childhood allergies and sicknesses - the whole "that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger"