Diapers Could Soon Be Created From Jellyfish

It’s been a problem for a long time – decades, really. People have warned and warned us that the problem is just going to get worse unless there’s a big change. What am I talking about? The problem with disposable diapers, of course. You probably know they don’t decompose (at least not quickly at all), and landfills are piled high with them – among other absorbent paper products. We all know diapers aren’t just going to disappear unless children start coming out of the womb potty-trained, but we also know that landfills aren’t magically spawning new space for us to dispose of our garbage. So what are we to do?

That’s where the ocean can help. And by ocean, I don’t recommend we simply throw our trash into the Pacific. By “ocean” I’m really talking about some of the species found in the ocean, specifically jellyfish. It turns out that as much as our landfills are overfilled with diapers, the oceans are overfilling with jellyfish. Who knew? Even more shocking (sorry, I couldn’t resist) is the fact that some researchers believe that jellyfish can be used to create a new batch of diapers (among other products) that will decompose within days, rather than years. And they’re very serious about the idea.

How Would You Like To Diaper Your Child With A Jellyfish?

Before you just assume I’m talking crazy, there is actually a team of researchers from Tele Aviv University who have been studying the unique properties of jellyfish. They were intrigued by the fact that jellyfish don’t disintegrate even though they’re comprised of about 90% water. Because of this simple observation, the team founded a company known as Cine’al and created what they’re calling Hydromash. Hydromash is an absorbent material coming from jellyfish which breaks down in approximately 30 days.

They believe that this technology can be used with tampons and paper towels, as well as with diapers. Hopefully no one will catch an inadvertent jellyfish sting.

What do you think of this idea? Let us know in the comments section below!

[Image via Wikipedia]

SOURCE: http://gizmodo.com/the-plan-to-turn-jellyfish-into-diapers-and-paper-towel-1562261325