CONS The recycling process still involves chemicals and energy to break down and mix the recycled paper together. High exposure to BPA has been linked to fertility problems, heart disease and other conditions. Every time paper is recycled, it loses more and more of its quality. It can only be recycled 4 to 6 times before the fibres get too short and weak.
Bamboo toilet paper As we discussed in previous blog posts on bamboo being environmentally friendly and the best brands of bamboo toilet roll , bamboo can be a great alternative to your typical loo rolls. PROS Compared to regular toilet paper, bamboo does not contribute to the problem of deforestation. The most important thing about bamboo is that it is renewable — it actually re-grows after it is harvested — so it does not need re-planting. Water requirements for the growth of bamboo are far lower.
CONS However, for those of us in the UK, it must be shipped thousands of miles across the ocean before it reaches us — which uses and releases carbon emissions. However, bamboo toilet roll inches out as the winner in this case for a number of reasons: It avoids the problem of deforestation — and even though recycled toilet paper in theory also does, in reality this is not the case.
But paper cannot be recycled indefinitely. It can only be recycled four to six times, as the fibres get shorter and weaker each time. Some virgin pulp must be introduced into the process to maintain the strength and quality of the fibre, so we will never completely eradicate the need for virgin fibre, no matter how much we recycle.
This brings up the question of source materials for both the recycled and virgin pulp. Do you know where it comes from? Basically, manufacturers can source raw materials from post-consumer sources office paper, newspaper, magazines , from pre-consumer sources off-cuts from printers, waste packaging discarded after shipping or from wood pulp essentially the waste materials from lumbering businesses.
But do you know where that wood pulp has come from? Buying recycled tissue products made from the waste pulp of trees felled from old-growth forests or from forests that are not sustainably managed does more environmental harm than good.
Likewise, virgin pulp from monoculture forests has negative impact on biodiversity and carbon storage. Even if you get around all this, though, there are some chemical worries with recycled paper. These days much recycled paper is non-bleached or uses oxygen rather than chlorine for bleaching.
But again, it is the source of your toilet tissue that probably determines what residues are likely to be in it. Michael Braungart, chemist, founder of the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency EPEA and co-author of the book Cradle to Cradle , which looks at the elimination of waste, is concerned that the production of recycled toilet tissue often involves turning high-grade office paper into toilet roll using halogenated hydrocarbons persistent organic pollutants.
Halogenated hydrocarbons are chlorinated compounds that are not only dangerous to health, but also can contaminate sewage outlets. Whichever way this sewage gets used, even if it is burned for fuel, it causes persistent pollution. How healthy can it be to be rubbing these into sensitive parts of our anatomy?
Then there is the tricky issue of who really owns our favourite ethical brands. In the UK, Nouvelle is the premier brand of recycled toilet tissue, but Nouvelle is owned by tissue giant Georgia Pacific — the company that came out worst in the WWF sustainability survey. So the broad conclusion is that recycled paper is better for the environment than virgin paper on two counts: first, because it helps divert waste paper away from landfill; and second, because its manufacture is less damaging to the environment when compared to the manufacture of virgin.
If you are already buying it you are making a difference. But clearly not all recycled toilet papers are created equal. Every type of paper we use has an impact on the environment; using recycled toilet tissue is good, but it is not likely to wipe away all your eco-guilt — only cutting down on your overall paper use can do that. I love when people learn something from my articles. And I hate when they miss out on important information. If you got 5 minutes and 32 seconds to waste, I would recommend this Youtube video from Discovery Channel.
If not, just scroll down and read why you should start using recycled toilet paper. So, you were asking, how harmful can a couple of toilet paper rolls be? Worst of all, as we mentioned in the previous section, toilet paper needs a diverse collection of trees to give the desired quality.
Some companies came up with a simple solution to try and please the eco-enthusiasts. They made several programs in which they plant at least one tree for every tree they cut. They usually opt for monoculture plantations due to their easier maintenance.
Trees typically take an average of years to fully mature , while the fastest ones need at least 10 years. In short, this process cuts a large area of trees to leave it as bare land in the midst of a forest or at its borders.
They prefer this method as it requires much less effort and time. Doing the opposite is better for the environment since it leaves food and shelter for the animal life there. This includes wood from landfills or timber cuts from wood workshops. Post-consumer materials , as you might expect, include any used paper like books, magazines, newspapers, etc. As the paper is recycled over and over, the fibers get much weaker and shorter.
But this is obviously better than solely using virgin wood as raw material. To make sure the toilet paper you purchase is sustainably sourced, search for the ones certified from agencies like the Forest Stewardship Council FSC. Still, not all certifications are equally sustainable. As we mentioned in the first section, water is a crucial constituent for making the regular toilet paper. While recycled paper also uses water, it needs a notably less amount. As you might already know, freshwater is getting scarcer than ever.
You can read that article by clicking here highly recommended! We can understand why fiber is bleached to produce white paper.
But bleaching toilet paper is literally meaningless! A yellow tissue would wipe as efficiently as a white one. Furthermore, the additional bleachers make the paper rolls a lot pricier. It also needs an extra washing step to remove chemical residues.
Naturally, the environment is also affected. Using chlorine to bleach wood pulp releases many toxic substances like dioxins and furans. When dioxins spread in our environment, they cause serious harmful consequences. They might lead to skin lesions, impaired immunity, and cancer. Worst of all, these materials can last for a long time inside a living creature since they can be stored in fat tissues.
Believe it or not, chlorinated toilet paper holds nearly the highest amount of furans out of all cosmetic products!
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