It is Legal to Toss Poop in the Trash?

How often do you take a dump in a dumpster?

Not often, I hope.

Going number 2 in the trash seems pretty crazy until you speak in terms of babies and diapers.

Well of course you put poop in the trash!! Right?

Many moms and dads might not be aware of this, but on the disposable diaper packages it instructs the consumer to empty solid waste into the toilet before disposing.

Yeah, I know, crazy huh?

Heck, I never knew this until I started researching about cloth diapering.

According to the guidelines of proper sanitation of fecal matter (aka poop) to avoid disease and viruses spreading into ground water, we are supposed to shake, wipe, dunk, or scoop that solid waste into the proper waste receptacle – the toilet.

Of course, exclusively breastfed infants have poop that is completely water soluble. It’s only when you start introducing solids that you have to worry about where to place the poop. Just one more reason (added to many) to delay solids. 

Although you aren’t breaking any federal law if you do stuff your diaper genie to the max with your baby’s poop and then leave out for the poor unsuspecting trash man, the reality is that human waste contains the potential to spread a lot of diseases – especially in vaccinated infants.

The WHO (World Heath Organization) as well as the CDC and the APHA (American Public Health Association) have provided guidelines in disposing of poop which instructs us to flush it down the toilet.

“…human excreta entering the waste stream via disposable diapers pose potential health risks to sanitation workers and threaten to contaminate groundwater…”

Law or not, it’s still better to flush it then to trash it. Just saying.

Sources:

Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000 Report. World Health Organization/UNICEF:http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/monitoring/jmp2000.pdf

Polcy Statement Database; Health and Environmental Hazards of Disposable Diapers. American Public Health Association. 1989:http://www.apha.org/advocacy/policy/policysearch/default.htm?id=1189