Going Paperless: Bad for the Planet and Your Backside?

One of the great benefits of our techno world is that we save paper — we can read books, magazines and newspapers on the Internet or the nifty new iPad. We can pay bills on-line and send emails, instead of chopping down forests for hard copies. But that's resulted in a rather strange consequence when it comes to toilet paper.

We already know that a shocking 98 percent of toilet paper used in the U.S. comes from virgin forests. And those of us eco-minded shoppers who nevertheless use paper products in our bathroom have opted for the recycled TP. However, Kiera Butler writes for Mother Jones, finding soft recycled toilet paper is getting harder, thanks to the fact that we now use less paper and which leaves less to be recycled.

So, those companies that rely on recycled paper for their product are starting to hurt. According to Butler, the most coveted paper for making TP is white office paper (because it has long fibers), which we don't use nearly as much of as we used to. Her findings comes from a story in Chemical and Engineering News that points out another level to this problem.

In order to try and make recycled toilet paper, using lower quality fiber, soft enough for people to want to wipe their butts with it, industry has to dose it in tons of chemicals. The more chemicals they put in it, the softer the paper turns out. "The pulp and paper industry," the article states, "is one of the largest consumers of chemicals in North America."

That would seem to be another strike against toilet paper, even the recycled kind. It is possible, however, to live without toilet paper and it is common in many other places where people prefer using good old-fashioned water. I've also received countless emails from folks who reuse rags, carry jars of water with them when they're away from their bidet, and of course, you can always go the camping route and collect a few leaves for the purpose.

Photo credit: anyjazz65