The Life of MeMe

Summary
Forests in both hemispheres are quite literally going down the crapper. Nearly 27,000 trees every day are being flushed down the toilet or dumped into landfills, and 10 percent of that waste is directly attributed to toilet paper.

Toilet paper produced from tree plantations decreases the amount of deforestation, but requires tons of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and water, while displacing indigenous plants and animals. Toilet paper produced from recycled paper decreases the amount of paper in landfills and uses less water, but is unquestionably a less user-friendly product.

Solution
The best way to stop deforestation and minimize landfill usage is to raise consumer awareness about toilet paper product choices and options.

Consumers must first recognize the amount of waste, and be encouraged to be more mindful of toilet paper usage. “The average American uses 57 sheets of toilet paper per day,” cited an article from the Worldwatch Institute. “Consumption of paper products could be reduced by 50 to 90 percent…by moving to a water-based personal cleansing system.”

The quantity of waste paper in U.S. dumps is estimated to fill 35 to 40 percent of total landfilled mass (Braun, D. April 2010). If consumers could decrease their toilet paper usage by a quarter, the results would be astounding.

Installing a bidet in every home world-wide is not currently a viable or cost-efficient option, especially considering that many third-world countries are only now beginning to improve sewage and sanitation systems. But toilet paper products made from recycled materials and other plant fibers are becoming more readily available.

The next step is to inform consumers that high-quality toilet paper products can be produced from recycled paper, and that using this type of paper “indeed saves resources and is less expensive (while) the alternative is to use virgin materials, single use, and landfilling.” (Tiemstra, J. 2002)

The final step is the institution and acceptance of water-based personal cleansing. Consumers need to understand that bidets are a much more efficient and hygienic way to clean human waste.

According to Rose George, author of The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why it Matters, “It is illogical to use something dry to clean the dirtiest part of our body when we use water to clean everything else."

Education of the toilet paper-consuming populace is a necessary solution to decrease paper waste, usage and the resulting deforestation and overfull landfill systems.

Conclusion
To protect old growth forests and decrease landfill usage, consumers must recognize the toll of each flush.

By simply reducing the amount of toilet paper used in each bathroom visit, Americans can significantly decrease the amount of waste in landfills. Using a product made from recycled paper will also help, while protecting forests.

Sacrificing a little comfort, without decreasing sanitation, is well-worth a cleaner, more beautiful world.

Sep 12, 2010