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After our own Katie Baker responded to a question from a reader wondering if she could compost her (or, more accurately, her baby’s) placenta, reactions were swift and disgusted. Loyal commenter Blooms even asked “haven’t people ever heard of ‘biohazards’?”

Well, prepare to freak out again, y’all: SFGate travels into the future to show us a brief article from Sunday’s Chronicle on Earth Baby, a Bay Area based service that, for about $85/month, will pick up and compost your baby’s diapers.

Used diapers are taken 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 process, which is monitored by the facility, sanitizes the soil, ensuring that it’s pathogen-free.

the author

Eve Batey is the editor and publisher of the San Francisco Appeal. She used to be the San Francisco Chronicle's Deputy Managing Editor for Online, and started at the Chronicle as their blogging and interactive editor. Before that, she was a co-founding writer and the lead editor of SFist. She's been in the city since 1997, presently living in the Outer Sunset with her husband, cat, and dog. You can reach Eve at eve@sfappeal.com.

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