Green mom and Wired writer Elisa Batista is walking the green walk when it comes to greening her five-month-old baby Aristotle Moulitsas-Batista; he wears Seventh Generation’s biodegradable diaper for nighttime use, but wears cloth diapers during the day.  This choice was made because of an important issue with biodegradable disposable diapers:

“These diapers all contain super-absorbent gelling materials,” or AGM, said the latest newsletter from cloth diaper service Tiny Tots. “AGM is linked to an increase in childhood asthma and a decrease in sperm count among boys. Environmentally, these diapers require as much water, energy and fuel to produce as any other single-use diaper. The bottom line is they offer no environmental or health benefits.”

New biodegradable brands such as Seventh Generation, Nature Boy & Girl and TenderCare Plus offer only slightly better options. Nature Boy & Girl diapers are made of cornstarch instead of plastic. Neither TenderCare Plus nor Seventh Generation diapers are bleached in chlorine, a process used by the leading disposable-diaper companies that emits toxins into the air and water.

And contrary to popular belief, no diaper — not even biodegradable ones — can break down in an airtight landfill.

“A landfill is not a composting facility,” the California Integrated Waste Management Board says on its website. “Nothing degrades well in a landfill.”

04.27.04 » Wired Magazine: The Poop on Eco-Friendly Diapers