Buying Environmental Toilet Paper.
Toilet paper is often derided as a major, however unavoidable environmental cost. Because of this, actions have been taken to reduce the environmental effect of toilet paper through recycling and the utilization of other materials, such as sugarcane and bamboo in an effort to reduce the environmental impact. Which of these types of toilet papers is better is a matter of debate.
Recycled toilet paper is traditional toilet paper produced from recycled paper at various percentages, and is the most typical and well established form of environmental toilet paper; it can be purchased from the majority of traditional homegoods sources. These recycled toilet papers, such as Seventh Generation ( pictured above ) have the advantage of a low environmental impact in production and a high ubiquity. However, recycled paper fibres are shorter, leading to most recycled toilet papers having rougher texture and occasionally poorer strength; this often leads users to require more toilet paper, which limits the environmental advantage.
There are also other options, such as bamboo and sugarcane ( bagasse ) toilet paper; bamboo toilet paper is typically more absorbent, and while better on average in softness, it should be noted that some recycled toilet papers also perform well in softness. Bamboo toilet paper also has the advantage of never containing BPA, which is found in some recycled toilet paper. BPA has been found to have certain detrimental health effects. Despite this, bamboo toilet paper can occasionally have less strength than recycled toilet paper. Generally, the better choice between the two option depends predominantly on the brand chosen ( the best of which are provided below in a Good Housekeeping Institute review ).
Despite the environmental improvement that many of these toilet paper brands provide, they regardless come in large plastic bags. Only a small number of more obscure toilet papers come with only paper wrapping; these brands such as the “ Who-Gives-a-Crap “ toilet paper company tend to not have had the same level of comparative reviewing from the usual outlets such as the Good Housekeeping Institute or Consumer Reports, and although many have positive customer reviews and are easily purchased online, they are not readily available at stores.