Reusable cotton diapers are great, if you have access to a washing machine. Doing it by hand is not an option and you don't want to let them sit unwashed for long.

Another thing that's great, if they work for you anatomically, is the little plastic mentruation cups. They are to the tampon what the cotton pad is to the single-use one.

I have seen conflicting reports regarding the environmental impact of cloth vs disposable diapers. Cloth diapers have to be washed. They use water, detergent, etc. It isn't a clear "win" for the environment to forego disposable diapers.

For me, I have a genetic disorder. Treating it conventionally is extremely expensive (~$100k or more annually, which grows the older -- and sicker -- that you get). I have found that throwing out contaminated clothing is a drop in the bucket compared to what the medical expenses are supposed to be and far more effective in terms of giving me high quality of life (a la "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" -- it is just so much better to protect myself than to let myself get sick and then try to treat it).

Also, I am somewhat skeptical of self-reported anecdata concerning "we do x and it causes no problems" when someone has a stated up front agenda because of the tendency humans have to attribute "bad" outcomes to something they have decided is "bad" and "good" outcomes to something they have decided is "good" and do not confuse them with the facts. I have seen way too much of that in life. People are seldom objective or logical.