Better yet, reduce the usage of paper towels altogether! What does this mean for me personally? Our Home Before we start, Id like to give you a little background on our kitchen. But something is required to catch the grease or help soak what little is left on the surface of your foods when they come out of the hot oil, not doing so makes for soggy snacks and no one wants that. Rags require water and energy to wash. Paper towels require 0 water and energy to wash and that needs to also go into the environmental equation. sales@unisanuk.com, Environment Manager - Global Drink Manufacturer. Get our best recipes, grocery finds, and clever kitchen tips delivered to your inbox. 
The paper fibers are too short to be used again as pulp. For example, as Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Long story short, no one can really tell us why. Over 13 billion pounds of paper towels are used per year in America alone. Here are the Investigations that changed me, * The environment is an enormous complex machine with a million and one moving parts. They are starting to be carried most places and even in big box stores. Pick up some cloth towels, use an old rag, orif you are luckya cold air dryer. In fact, the industry consumes a whopping 4% of the worlds energy! But if you're dealing with a big spill, or something really gross, you're likely going to use multiple at once, without thinking even thinking about it twice. Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Some better sustainable alternatives are reusable cloth towels and modern air dryers. If you could only see the size of my Grandmothers TV. The very high absorbency compared to other paper towel brands means only 2 hand towels are needed to thoroughly dry your hands an excellent cost reduction tool! And that we love to link back to where we found all the information for each of our posts. 
Learn more on landfills here. We might not be good at some things in this country, but Ill be a monkeys uncle if we arent great at growing trees! All my Green Living Investigations are meant to be read in just a minute or two, so you can get back to finding a green life thats just right for you. TreeHugger: Recycle Paper Towels Is It Possible? If you are living in the West where there is often water shortages, the amount of water something takes can be very important. save energy and reduce microplastic production, Science Direct: Life-cycle assessment (LCA), MIT SMR: Strategic Sustainability Uses of Life-Cycle Analysis, TreeRemoval: How Paper is Made from a Tree, Fast Company: Theres an overlooked product that you definitely use thats destroying vital forests, Readers Digest: 40 Facts That Will Make You Use Paper Less, Sciencing: Process For Making Paper Towels, The Shelby Sun Times: How Paper Towels Are Manufactured, LD Davis: Everything You Didnt Know About Paper Towels, Science Direct: Detailed life cycle assessment of Bounty paper towel operations in the United States, The Environmental Paper: The State of the Global Paper Industry, MSL MIT: Life Cycle Assessment of Hand Drying Systems, Statista Usage of paper towels in the U.S. 2011-2024, The New York Times: The Use and Abuse of Paper Towels, Cottage Core: The Dirty Details [and facts] on Paper Towels and Sponges. When deciding whether to go for a paper hand towel dispenser or an electric hand dryer in your facility, It is important to weight up the hygiene factors, as well as the environment. Its not easy doing all this research! Arguments Against Paper Towel UseBut in support of the general arguments most will try make, heres the main issues: Using paper towels means factories causing pollution from their production and trucks to transport them. Dennis is the founder of Impactful Ninja and passionate about enabling you to make a positive impact on the world & society. The whats best out of paper towels and air hand dryers depends on context. On Facts And StatisticsPrior to writing this, we did a fair amount of research, to make sure we had our facts straight. When it comes to stopping the spread of dangerous germs, sometimes the environment has to take second place. Related: Why Not? This use and abuse of paper towels harms our environment at the cost of our convenience. When we find products that we believe add value to you and the seller has an affiliate program, we sign up for it. The paper towel is a common household item and is an ever-growing global industry. Declaring something Good, Bad, or Ugly is subject to some interpretation. Theyre convenient, we see them as a sanitary option, and theyre on nearly every kitchen counter in America. Or, for many of our posts, we also link to our favorite books on that topic so that you can get a much more holistic overview than one single blog post could provide. Infants and toddlers are especially susceptible to the effects of chlorine bleach. This isnt an issue of boycotting the big bad paper giant, its more a waiting game for technology and the science of manufacturing to catch up to the needs and demands of the people. That said, recycled paper towels or paper products are harder to recycle. It is a passion project of mine and I love to share helpful information with you to make a positive impact on the world and society. There still is packaging, landfill space, and energy for making and disposing cloth products. We take great strides to eat local, fresh, and in season. The thicker the towel, the longer it will take to digest into the environment. The answer is simple and a great premise for life and all projects, be it woodworking, under water basket weaving or cooking: Shocking, we know, but there are certain instances that they really are what the job calls for and do their part in our kitchen, time and time again, without faltering. When you do buy paper towels, buy unbleached, processed chlorine-free (PCF) or totally chlorine free (TCF). We are big believers in eating well, not to make less of an impact on the environment, but to fuel our bodies with the highest possible quality of food. You will be surprised at how many you use every single day. Theres packaging, transportation, disposal and landfill space to consider. Most of these links are informational-based for you to check out their primary sources with one click. They come in a pack of 12, and they're black so you don't need to worry about stains. All Rights Reserved. 
*, Copyright Green Living Detective 2022. 
Why We Think Theyre Still Ok To UseDespite all the criticism paper towel users receive, we still think they are a-ok in the kitchen. However, using paper towels doesnt require electricity, whereas warm air and jet hand dryers do. But I didn't know what was the most responsible way to get rid of it. Keep reading for more about this relatively easy lifestyle change that will positively impact your life and the planet, for the better. Paper towels are bleached out with chemicals at the factories. Ace-Tex: Paper Vs Cloth What are the greenest options? Sarah Rae Smith has lived all across the Midwest and currently calls the bratwurst-laden city of Sheboygan home. Although many try to argue that paper is paper in any form and the numbers should still apply, it feel like arguing that because tigers have been known to kill people we must eliminate household cats because they are both felines. These are great bins as they dont require individual bin liners, the liner is continuous, reducing liner wastage too. Why you ask, when theres other options available? They are one of the first paper towels to combine features of premium products with recycled material. Your best bet will be trying to keep them clean and compost them when possible. That same year, it was estimated that every American spent an average $17.50 on paper towels, which definitely adds up especially if you're buying new rolls once a month. First, and most importantly, we still only recommend products that we believe add value for you.
Once used, paper towels are soiled with dirt, oils, and other solvents. The great debate over paper towels vs air hand dryers being harmful for the environment might be controversial, however, it is a topic worth discussing. 
auto cutting mechanism, it cuts the same size sheet every time, meaning you use less, and there is a lot less waste created, increasing your sustainability. A downside to jet air dryers is they are very loud. 
It is a passion project of mine and I love to share helpful information with you to make a positive impact on the world and society. A post shared by PACKAGE FREE (@packagefreeshop). Buy we are concerned with the softness of our toilet paper. These trees are still producing oxygen and taking out CO2 It recycles post-consumer materials and does not require cutting down trees logging. 
We dry our hands, wipe down counter tops and clean up most messes just fine. The last reason we still keep a roll on hand is because of our 4 legged friend, Wilbur. All things considered, recycled paper towels could seem like a more sustainable option for the environment. Sure you can use newspaper instead of paper towels, but we dont get the newspaper and neither does anyone in our building. The Controversy So why is there SO MUCH FUSS about paper towel use in the kitchen? Paper towels were first developed as a real way for medical facilities to stop the spread of germs. How To Go Paper Towel-Less in the Kitchen. Overall, cold air dryers have the least environmental impact on all grounds. :), 15 Green Living Printables to Make Going Green Easier, sustainable, reusable paper towel alternatives. 105 Ways to Find YOUR Greenest Life, Buy me a coffee! According to TerraPass, the carbon output of paper towels is relatively minimal amounting to about 0.06 pounds of carbon dioxide per roll. Some remain around 90 decibels, which is about as loud as a lawnmower! Its all the rage to say, Im paper towel-less! like theres a medal to be won or a badge of honor to wear because of it. Americans are lazy and we lived without them for years, who need convenience, my Grandparents sure didnt! To understand the sustainability of paper towels, we must assess their life-cycle and each stages sustainability. The aim of Impactful Ninja is to provide you with actionable insights to help make a positive impact on the world & society. The natural colour of the hand towels reflects how natural they really are no bleaches, dyes or heavy chemicals used in the production process, unlike most other paper hand towels. The bark from these trees is chemically or mechanically broken down into smaller pieces to form a pulp. Although more energy efficient, they still use a lot of electricity to power. So recycled paper towels must be better, right? Impactful Ninja participates in affiliate & advertising programs designed to provide a means to this site to ensure continuous content creation for you. If you're looking for an easy way to cut down on costs and reduce your environmental impact, giving up paper towels is a really easy way to do so. The pulp is cleaned with chlorine bleach and is ready to be rolled into white paper towels. We figured it was better to be honest about our efforts to reduce our paper towel usage (not because were trying to be green), why we think they can still be essential in the kitchen and how to be ok with the stigma that surrounds their use. If possible, choose a cloth that does not contain added pigments or dyes they too contribute to pollution. What do these affiliate links mean for us? The perils of chlorine bleach are well documented. LetsGoGreen states that for every single roll of recycled paper towel used, 544,000 trees are saved thats a lot of trees! The life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to evaluate the environmental impacts of products. They break down quickly and once wet, they practically disappear! Like the produce we eat, these are 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc generation trees. The Hanzl Eco hand towel rolls are a great solution, as they boast great ecological credentials, as well as being the most hygienic option. One studyused a bunch of math and science to determine if cloth rags or paper towels were greener for housecleaning. Also, they are bleached to offer them their white colour. Although sometimes they are composted, most end up in landfill. Typically the jobs we have for them are those that involve grease, fat or slimy things in general. They harbor bacteria and contaminate the clean paper products. I used to buy paper towels like everyone else, but when my boyfriend and I moved in together, we decided that giving them up would be an easy way to slash costs, as our rent was about to go up from our old place, which we lived in with several roommates. On the opposite side, maybe youre feeling the reverse effects of green goers around you. Why Not? In 2017, according to The Atlantic, Americans spent about $5.7 billion on paper towels. If we arent cooking our bacon in the oven, paper towels are almost a necessity for taking care of business with the microwave (without having one of those silly looking uni-tasker trays roaming around). Heck, were even ok with not recycling them. But the chemicals, what about the chemicals?! Choosing recycled paper towels is a significant first step to sustainability. The hygiene benefits of paper towels are huge in contrast to hand dryers, which easily cause the spread of bacteria and viruses. Using recycled paper towels may seem like a more sustainable option to save a few trees and prevent chemical pollution. If you use paper towels on a daily basis, this creates quite a bit of waste.
But that's still a long time to go. You cant recycle paper towels. Theres no real reason for them when you have towels and sponges. Progress Over Perfection, I keep telling her. And while nothing beats paper towels for soaking up bacon grease, theres no evidence to show that paper towels are more sanitary than a cloth option. How To Go Paper Towel-Less in the Kitchen, (Images: too-hectic& Flickr members Dalboz17, ifijay, colinjcampbell, klynslis, swimboy1, nahlinse licensed for use under Creative Commons, Sarah Rae Trover & Elizabeth Passarella). Affiliate Disclosure In Ontario, for example, paper towels are spread across landfills to strengthen the soil and prevent erosion. Learn more Manufacturing paper towels consumes a lot of trees, water, energy and fuel. 
Most other things we really do rely solely on a giant stack of cloth towels or a sponge cloth to get the job done. Find out more here. If your toilet does not have high-tech cold air dryers, reach for the warm air dryer instead. When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission - but at no additional costs to you. We could use a sponge cloth to pick up the slimy puke-y mess, but it just doesnt stick to the sponge and we always end up with it on us, running to the the sink like a small child chanting, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew! It really depends on the situation, where you live, what paper product you are using, etc. They bring unwanted chemicals into our homes from the processes in which they are made. You may also see products with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. A Life-Cycle Analysis, The History of Carbon Offsetting: The Big Picture. But, studies show that recycled paper towels overall environmental impact is still substantial and almost equal to virgin paper towels. So we linked to where you can find them. Landfill trash ends up polluting our oceans, and even though paper towels biodegrade quicker than other "trashed" items, they leave behind chemicals, bleaches, and plastic additives that seep into groundwater. And for the germaphobes, we promise: it really isn't gross. Because they fit into a dispenser with a (battery-free!) Do you really want to be spending those extra few hundos on paper towels?
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