Digesting Diapers

Oyster mushrooms can turn disposable diapers into a profitable food staple

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Jason Raish / www.jasonraish.com
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Normally, the only time dirty diapers and dinner appear in the same sentence is when the baby once again interrupts mealtime with an inconvenient call to action. But Alethia Vázquez-Morillas of Mexico City’s Autonomous Metropolitan University is fond of talking about how to feast on food—specifically, oyster mushrooms—grown on used diapers.  

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According to Conservation (Fall 2011), oyster mushrooms thrive on cellulose, which is a primary constituent of disposable diapers. Cellulose takes centuries to biodegrade in the airless confines of a landfill, while oyster mushrooms can eat it up in two short months, after which, of course, people can eat up the mushrooms.  

It sounds like a dish made for the Food Network: Instead of trashing billions of disposable diapers every year, turn them into a profitable food staple. One snag is that the diapers must be steam-sterilized, reports Conservation: “Steaming kills any bacteria and other fungi that could outcompete the oyster mushrooms for living space on the diapers.” Sterilization is also a costly process that might prevent the intrepid diaper-mushroom entrepreneur from turning a profit. Still, we’d love to see someone throw together a mushroom-based delicacy and have Bizarre Foods’ host Andrew Zimmern take a big bite.

Cover-169-thumb.jpgHave something to say? Send a letter to editor@utne.com. This article first appeared in the January-February 2012 issue of Utne Reader.



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