As quoted in a recent TIME magazine article, the Real Diaper Association, an advocacy group founded in 2004, estimates that 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used each year in the U.S. According to the EPA, that translates into more than 3.4 million tons of waste dumped into landfills.

Previously in these (virtual) pages, I’ve lamented the viability of dealing with diapers and being “green.” The way I see it, short of potty training your kid on day one, the situation is the ultimate conundrum. Use disposables and you’re stocking landfills with stuff that just doesn’t go away. Use reusables/washables and you’re wasting a ton of water to clean them all the time.

Perhaps this is why Earth Baby has me so intrigued. The service—which was profiled in a recent San Francisco Chronicle story—apparently picks up and composts your diapers. The price includes a $28 service fee, plus fees for diapers and wipes (which can vary every month).

The reporter alleges all of this can be had for $85 per child per month.

According to the story, Earth Baby “messengers” take the used diapers to a commercial composting facility, where they are mixed with other green waste. Microbes and fungus within the compost naturally bring the temperature to more than 140 degrees over 10 to 14 weeks.

The end product is used on crops, golf courses or in landscaping—basically wherever topsoil is needed.

In theory, at least provided Earth Baby diapers can handle poops and pees like the rest of them, the Earth Baby concept sounds great. In practice, though, (unless you’re Barry Zito), $1,000 per year is an *outrageous* amount of money to spend on a diaper service.

Why aren’t there affordable options for us parents to raise our kids in a sustainable fashion?