How To Use Disposables Wisely

gDiapers are colorful, flushable and 100% biodegradeable.

If you prefer to stick with traditional dis-posables, here are four ways you, too, can help the environment.

1. Flush poop before disposing of the diaper, says Lisa Jester, a spokeswoman for Pampers. Feces contains harmful bacteria that can make its way from landfills into waterways.

2. Check first. Peek inside the diaper to be sure it needs changing. As your baby grows, she'll go less often.

3. Wrap used diapers. They'll take up less room in landfills. Diaper recycling is slowly building in Europe and Asia; Santa Clarita, Calif., is the first U.S. city to test the concept.

4. Potty train earlier. A Pediatrics study found that most toddlers can grasp the concept at 27 months.