Um - I always used the trash, too. It's trash, isn't it?

baconsmom · July 2015

Dear Prudie,
What is proper etiquette for disposing of baby diapers in public? I am a first-time mom and have noticed that other mommies often have a small disposable garbage bag that they put the baby’s diaper in and often take these wrapped up diapers with them to dispose of later when in public. I have not been participating in this practice and often at people’s homes, shopping malls, restaurants, coffee shops, etc., dispose of the dirty diaper in the trash receptacles. Only when I was at the pediatrician’s office and they informed me that I was unable to dispose of the dirty diaper at the office that I thought perhaps I have been committing a faux pas.

—Mommy Doodies

GBCK · July 2015

I think it does depend a little bit on the vileness level and the location of the trash.

So the trash in the tiny trash-can under the desk that never has anything but paper wads in it, so someone empties it once every 6 weeks is not ideal. I carry gallon ziplocs and consider places that have frequently emptied trash cans fair game. It's trash, it's supposed to have gross stuff in it.
(although people who leave them in parking lots were raised by baboons or something. I am always gaggy about that)

baconsmom · July 2015

Well, yeah, I assume a lot of people are common-sensical about it.

Also, what is up with the pediatrician's office?! You're seeing babies, but you want Mom to take a stinky-ass diaper out with her, instead of disposing of it with all the other biological waste?

GBCK · July 2015

I don't know--our ped's office had signs to that effect too, and I wondered why it can't go in their 'gross but not medical waste' trash.

(I assume they have those. I do @ work--biohazards have to be disposed of according to certain rules...but there's a subcategory of "super gross and we mark it so custodians don't open the lid and wig the hell out [because a bag of eyeballs and dead fetal pigs will do that to a person]"--never labeled bio-hazardor we'd be in trouble w/ the cleanup/disposal rules, but always marked so it's not just 'regular trash')

Heffalump · July 2015

I always bag the poopy diapers before tossing them. It just seems like common courtesy. And yeah, our pedi's office has always been militant about diapers, even just wet ones. Pack it in, pack it out.

MesmrEwe · July 2015

What's (TH) up with that Ped's office?!?!? Dirty diapers go in the trash... Heck, they're a Ped's office, have a darn diaper trash can if necessary because of the stink that these often can create, but just NO! No way in HE** would I haul a diaper out of a location with me unless it was something like a friend's house who doesn't have kids I might reconsider - unless it was a party where the kid was invited - and I'd be asking for a plastic bag (there IS a use for those plastic bags from the store!) just out of politeness if it's fully loaded... Only thing I can think is that it's a super crunchy Ped's office that doesn't believe in disposable diapers, but NO, just NO! That diaper's getting thrown out...

FTM issues LOL

tawillers · July 2015

I used these when I was in public but I didn't take the diaper with me, I threw it in the trash.

At someone's house I still bagged it but took it outside to their trash can. We didn't throw dirty diapers away inside our own house, either.

Our pedi never told us we couldn't throw away a diaper.

*Barbie* · July 2015

I don't remember the rules at our pedi (it's been a few years) - but any time I was in public, it went in the trash (generally in the bathroom since that's where a changing table was located. If we were at a friend/relative's house, I always asked where they wanted me to throw it ( trash inside/trash outside/diaper pail/etc.). If it was bad, I would bag it first. (Every parent should have some trash bags and/or ziplock bags in their diaper bag - between dirty diapers and dirty clothes (blowout/vomit/copious amounts of drool) there's always use for them.

the only time I ever took a dirty diaper with me was when there was an emergency change and there was no trash can available - then it was put in a ziplock and tossed when a trash can became available.

hmonkey · July 2015

considering the volume of kids that goes through a ped's office, i imagine that they don't want stinky diapers in their trash. additionally, they probably don't want a leaking diaper to drop in the office if the garbage bag fails while they are taking the trash out.

MesmrEwe · July 2015

hmonkey said:

considering the volume of kids that goes through a ped's office, i imagine that they don't want stinky diapers in their trash. additionally, they probably don't want a leaking diaper to drop in the office if the garbage bag fails while they are taking the trash out.

If they're using garbage bags that are that cheap - there are bigger issues with that ped's office!!!

banana468 · July 2015

I'd roll my eyes at a pedi's office that made me take a dirty diaper with me.

VarunaTT · July 2015

Would a dirty diaper in a pedi's office have to be in the biohazard waste bin?

Those are usually smaller, they have protocols for disposable that have to be followed, etc. It seems like it would a layer of huge PITA for them.

mrsconn23 · July 2015

We stopped using our diaper pail because it was gross and stinky. We just took the trash out more often and bagged poopy diapers and they went directly outside.

I can see how a peds office wouldn't want to screw with that.

I had the tiny trash bags. They even came with a handy dandy roll thingee that clipped to my diaper bag and they smelled like vanilla.

And now I'm adding tiny trash bags and roller thingee to my list of stuff to buy SIL for her future baby.

6fsn · July 2015

I could see why a pedi office wouldn't want them just because of the sheer quantity of kids that come through. I've actually never had to deal with this there.

I keep 5 wipes in a quart Ziploc. If there is a poo I have enough wipes to clean it up and shove it back in the Ziploc to seal. I should be thankful my kids are regular.

VarunaTT · July 2015

I was really curious about this, so I've been googling. I think this is what it comes down to:

OSHA defines what is a Regulated Waste as liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials; contaminated items that would release blood or other potentially infectious materials in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed; items that are caked with dried blood or other potentially infectious materials and are capable of releasing these materials during handling; contaminated sharps; and pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials.

Then, it looks like it's up to each individual state to decide if diapers are defined as falling into Regulated Waste. Some states do, some don't. If the state does, yeah it's got to go into the biohazard bin; I could see why some offices don't want to bother with that. If the state doesn't, it seems to just be a matter of personal preference for the office. I get not wanting baby feces sitting around with you for the 10-12 hours a day some of that staff is there.

6fsn · July 2015

I love that you googled this.

GBCK · July 2015

it being biohazard (debatably) makes me less irritated at the ped.

The cost to have biohazards hauled away is amazingly high.

(and I yell at people who dump non-mercury chem waste into the 'possibly mercury containing chem waste' bin, because we have to then pay for the entire bin at the 3xprice of possibly containing mercury)

Heffalump · July 2015

mrs.conn23 said:

We stopped using our diaper pail because it was gross and stinky. We just took the trash out more often and bagged poopy diapers and they went directly outside.

I can see how a peds office wouldn't want to screw with that.

I had the tiny trash bags. They even came with a handy dandy roll thingee that clipped to my diaper bag and they smelled like vanilla.

And now I'm adding tiny trash bags and roller thingee to my list of stuff to buy SIL for her future baby.

We're about at that point with DS. His is in his closet and now it's starting to stink up the closet. So I'm emptying it every other day or so, which kind of defeats the purpose. Unfortunately, my kids are regular like 6's, and DS poops every day after dinner. (DD was always after lunch, so DC got to deal with it on weekdays and we didn't have the same diaper pail smell issues.) I have the bags/roller/diaper bag clip thing, too. But sometimes I just tie it up in a Target bag.

*Barbie* · July 2015

GBCK said:

it being biohazard (debatably) makes me less irritated at the ped.
The cost to have biohazards hauled away is amazingly high.

(and I yell at people who dump non-mercury chem waste into the 'possibly mercury containing chem waste' bin, because we have to then pay for the entire bin at the 3xprice of possibly containing mercury)

I get where you're coming from - I need to deal with this at work. My biggest project recently celebrated their soil test results - they knew it was contaminated, but the levels are low enough that they can backfill on the same lot or reuse onsite - saves them a ton in disposal and remediation fees.

mrsconn23 · July 2015

http://jezebel.com/where-do-you-toss-your-babys-dirty-diapers-in-public-1720051968

MesmrEwe · July 2015

mrs.conn23 said:

http://jezebel.com/where-do-you-toss-your-babys-dirty-diapers-in-public-1720051968

Was just thinking about this - when it comes to adults and those who are of certain handicaps and need to wear Depends - they get tossed in the bathroom trash bin and no one would ever bat an eye about them doing otherwise. Brings about the "Why is this even an issue?!?!?!?" other than the fact that it's a "FTM problem"...

Um - I always used the trash, too. It's trash, isn't it?

Re: Um - I always used the trash, too. It's trash, isn't it?

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