Diaper service Vs. Disposable

[MaggieORLY]

This is going to be my first baby, I've never done this before...

So we don't have a washer and dryer in our house, so regular cloth diapering is pretty much out of the question. However we do have a very reputable diaper service in town. They provide all the prefolds, wipes, covers, pail, etc. And they will pick up the diapers once a week and replace them with fresh folds. It's $35 a week. This seems expensive to me, and we were considering going with disposable despite our dislike of them.

But recently on the Mama Natural Show, the host mentioned that there was a HUGE explosion at a diaper factory in Japan, one of the biggest plants. And since they need to rebuild the plant, they warned there could be an increase in the cost of disposable diapers. Now I'm wondering if the diaper service is a comparable price, and much more green! 

Has anyone ever used a diaper service before?

[pokeyAC]

Does anyone have any thoughts?

[Jennyanydots]

We used a diaper service until DS was just over a year old, then switched to laundering our own. I love love loved our diaper service. The first 3 months were a baby shower gift from DP's parents, and it was the best gift we could have received. If you are still expecting to receive gifts and can find a tactful way to make requests, you might consider this- I think most diaper services are accustomed to friends and family paying in for expecting couples.

It was more expensive, yes, but when you consider the sheer volume of waste you produce with disposables (and I remember how much it was, using them with my first two), I think you may feel it's well worth the extra expense.

Good luck!