Breastfeeding is Green

Posted on Tue Feb 5 2008

By: Katie Rawls in Environment

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After having a baby, I have found yet another reason why breastfeeding is preferable if a mother has the option.

Sure, there are tons of medical reasons why breastfeeding is recommended. It reduces different allergies. It helps with a baby’s immunities and helps them not get sick as often. And it helps the mother lose the baby weight she gained during pregnancy. These are just a few of the many reasons. But my new reason to add to the list of benefits is that breastfeeding is green.

The Stats

Breastfeeding literally reduces millions of pieces of trash and it can lessen or eliminate the carbon footprints that are left by babies.

A baby on formula consumes an estimated average of 14,500 ounces of formula in the first year. The powder formula that many go with can make about 235 fluid ounces of milk. That can divide out to more than 60 canisters that are thrown away in a year by a single baby. And with 4.3 million babies born in the United States in 2006, that could equal 240 million extra pieces of trash for those children that were given formula.

Only 16% of all women that gave birth in the United States in 1998 breastfed for the entire first year. And although goals are set to get that percentage to 25% by 2010 in the United States, it is still only a small percentage. With even 25% breastfeeding by 2010, that still leaves 75% of babies being fed formula, and this can mean a lot of extra trash in empty formula containers. That can mean out of 4 million babies, 3 million are using formula, which is an estimated 180 million pieces of trash.

Other Sources

The amount of bottles, nipples, and water with detergent to wash these items are also extras that are not used as frequently or at all with breastfeeding. And these items contribute also to pollution when they are discarded.

Many families have no choice but to feed their babies formula, and that is understandable. But for those that do have the option to breastfeed, this can be yet another good reason to go for it.

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