Most of the focus on the environmental effect of newborns is concentrated on the debate between cloth vs. disposable diapers, but the environmental consequences of formula feeding have far greater impact. If every child in America were fed on artificial foods, almost 86,000 tons of tin would be needed to produce 550 million cans of formula to meet the need. Large amounts of water, fuel, paper, glass, plastic, and rubber are required in the production, shipping, and preparation of formula. Additionally, formula feeding produces significant amounts of solid waste. Substituting cow's milk for breastmilk is costly, causes waste, and uses valuable resources.
All evidence points to the benefits of continuing to nurse for at least one year.
In some cultures, children are breastfed until they are three or four years old. However, in the US, nearly half of the women who initiate breastfeeding quit before the baby is 3 months old. The attitudes of health workers and the prevailing societal perceptions of breastfeeding are significant factors in determining how long humans breastfeed. Length of nursing for mammals varies considerably. Orangutans nurse their babies the longest - fully six years in the wild.