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The Great Toilet Paper Debate


Yes, sorry mom. Here is yet another thing I am insisting we change in the house.

Here's a couple Did-you-knows to help start proving my point (via Greenseal) :
40% of trash in landfills is paper products
30% of the timber harvested annually in the US is used to make paper products

And yes mom, I hear your first argument " But when it gets to a landfill, it breaks down eventually. AND it still has to go to a landfill after it's used- recycled or not"

First of all, nothing breaks down in landfills anymore.
Since the 1960's the US has invested in something called sanitary landfills. Sounds nice, right? Well it means that be basically lead-line all of our landfills so nothing can seep into the soil and contaminate it because of all the toxins inside of things we use everyday: mercury, formaldehyde, BPA, etc. Things that, if they did leak into the soil could reach the water table and make a lot of people very very sick. So they are necessary. However, without access to the natural processes and bacteria needed to break things down- nothing does. So even food waste, which benefits the soil and yes- our paper towel and toilet paper- sits stagnant in a landfill.

Secondly, good point- it will eventually still get to a landfill. So why change the way you have been doing things? Well, for every ton of 100% recycled toilet paper and paper towel product used, you are saving about 4,100 kilowatt-hours of energy (look at your electric bill to get an idea of how much money that is), 7,000 gallons of water, and over 60 pounds of air pollutants. Well how is that possible? Because that is how much more energy is required to make your box of tissues or roll of toilet paper when trees are cut down to make it for you.

Next my Mom would argue, "Well I just don't see how it makes that much of a difference if just I do it. I like how regular toilet paper feels- not the recycled stuff"

Well, there are a lot of different products out there- and many are quite comfortable. But at the end of the day- you need to stop being selfish. When you purchase paper products that are from 100% virgin sources, it takes 3.5 tons of virgin timber to make 1 ton of toilet paper. The rest gets trashed. And maybe just you doing it would not have an impact, but everyone take son that mindset. And yes, your choices and action affect me, our town, global communities, and future generations.
With 80% of the world's ancient forests already destroyed, are you willing to continue this habit just because you don't like change? Your grandchildren, and great grandchildren deserve to play amongst the same trees and forests you did. And with Climate change growing ever more ominous- no one can afford the cost of virgin toilet paper.


Let me put it this way- in a time when we are struggling to reforest and sequester carbon, it takes 90 years to grow one box of Kleenex- and that's a lot longer than I'm willing to wait to blow my nose.


sources: Kleercut Campaign
Greenpeace
Greenseal Report
etc.

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