Are cloth diapers really more environmentally minded than disposables? (+1) I think the answer really has to be "It depends..." (as @Treb has hinted at in his answer) because it's not just a simple choice between disposables and diaper service. There are a broad range of disposable options from dolphin killers to compostable. And you can use a cloth diaper service that bleaches diapers 7 times in 95 C water or you can own your own cloth diapers and wash them in 45 C water with "green" environmentally-friendly detergent and recycle them for multiple children!