Disposable Diapers Could Save Ton Of Water

Hayley Priest and Rachelle Morales, eighth-graders at Ball Junior High School, have spent the past year studying whether disposable diapers could help retain moisture in soil.

The goal, they said, is to find a way to reduce water usage without affecting agricultural growth during California’s lengthy drought.

“I’m hoping that other people will learn that there are other things that they can do in their gardens so that they don’t have to use so much water,” Priest saiThe girls, both 13, were awarded a $454 grant this month from the Anaheim Union High School District Student Service Foundation, created last year to help pay for pupil-led community projects.

The girls’ money will be used to plant produce in a pair of raised soil beds to test the theory.

One of those beds will have soil mixed with pieces of disposable diapers, which have absorbent polymer beads that are environmentally friendly and retain moisture. If successful, the project could decrease the amount of water needed by roughly 50 percent.

“It’s been fun working in the garden together and figuring out how to conserve water in California,” Morales said.

Source: Orange County Register, Art Maroquin
Photo: Rachelle Morales, left, and Hayley Priest, both eighth-graders at Ball Junior High, received a $454 grant awarded by the Anaheim Union High School District Service Foundation. The money will help fund their community service project, “Diapers to the Rescue: A Water Saving Idea for the Community.” (Photo Courtesy of Debra Malmborg)