The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says that at least 400,000 trees would be saved annually if each American family replaced just one roll of toilet paper made from the fibers of forested trees with one that was made with 100 percent recycled products. Americans are the world's biggest consumers of soft toilet paper. They use 23.6 rolls per person annually.
Using Recycled Toilet Paper Protects the Environment
By using more toilet paper that is recycled and less of the ultra-soft type, trees,water and the natural habitats of many plants and animals would be preserved, environmentalists say. Also, there would be fewer pollutants from additives. For example, in making toilet paper the traditional way from the fibers of cut-down trees, many manufacturers use a bleaching agent that contains chlorine to make the paper whiter.
Toilet paper is the only paper product that is not recyclable. So each day that toilet paper is used and discarded represents the loss of 27,000 trees worldwide, says Claude Martin of the Worldwide Fund for Nature or the WWF.
The Toilet Papers Americans Love
In most other parts of the world, toilet paper, if it is used at all, is not as soft as that used by many Americans. Brands of very soft toilet paper that Americans buy lots of include Cottonelle Ultra (Kimberly- Clark), Charmin Ultra (Proctor & Gamble), Angel Soft (Georgia-Pacific) and Quilted Northern (Georgia- Pacific) . These very soft toilet papers grabbed 40 percent of the American market in 2008. Europe and Latin America use more recycled toilet paper than the U. S., where in 2008 it was used in only two percent of homes.
However, even if a consumer doesn't use toilet paper that is ultra-soft, unless it was made from recycled materials, trees were cut down just to produce it. Toilet papers preferred by Americansare softer than the toilet papers used by the general populations in many countries.( In fact, in many places around the world it's common to use newspaper or any available cloth for wiping.) That's why environmentalists want to see Americans and other consumers who like to buy soft toilet paper use more toilet paper manufactured from recycled materials such as discarded office paper and newspaper.
Forests and Tree Plantations
The longer the tree fiber, the softer the toilet paper. Since, recycled toilet paper is made from paper that has shorter fibers because it's been shredded in the recycling process, it can't now compete in softness with the toilet papers used by most Americans. But soft toilet tissue comes with a high price for the environment.
Manufacturers of toilet paper most often use trees from tree plantations in the United States and Latin America. They use a lesser number of trees from second-growth forests, forests where saplings are planted after trees are cut down. A smaller number of trees come from virgin (never- touched) forests. Felling trees contributes to global warming because trees help to trap the harmful carbon gases that contribute to global warming.
And there's a new wrinkle in the forest situation. Now some paper manufacturers in the U. S. and other countries are cutting down trees in virgin forests to make room for tree plantations or tree farms. On these plantations, fast-growing and often non-native trees such as eucalyptus and pine are planted because like older trees their fibers can be manufactured into very soft toilet paper. But envirnomentalists note that these tree plantations require lots of water and the use of manufactured pesticides and fertilizers.
Top Brands of Recycled Toilet Paper
Here are the top 10 recycled toilet papers as evaluated by Greenpeace, an international environmental organization:
- Green Forest
- 365
- April Soft
- Earth Friendly
- Fiesta and Fiesta Green
- Natural Value
- Seventh Generation
- Trader Joe's
- Marcal Small Steps
- Earth First
See Greenpeace's Rankings for Recycled Paper Towels, Napkins and Facial Tissue
Sources:
- Kaufman, Leslie. "Mr. Whipple Left It Out: Soft Is Rough On the Forests." New York Times. February15, 2009. Accessed 7 July 2010.
- Kneidel, Sally. "Demand For Toilet Paper: 32 Million Acres of U. S. Forest Wiped Out and Rising." Basilandspice.com. General Reference Center Gold. Accesssed 7 July 2010.
- Robbins, Noelle. "Flushing Forests: The Pursuit of Hygenic Elimination Is Eliminating a Lot of Forest."Worldwatch.org. Accessed 7 July 2010
Linda N. Riggins - I have written freelance articles for Victorian Homes,Catholic Digest, the Old Farmer's Almanac, Fine Homebuilding, the Christian Science ...
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