Monday Whazzup – Make A Difference With Paper Towels

When was the last time you thought about a paper towel? Three weeks ago? Never?

Guess what? Paper still represents 40% of our nation’s landfill content according to Green Seal. With thousands of recycling programs going on in communities all across the United States and world, this is shocking to me – and it should be to you too. It is time for all of us to stop wasting and start thinking about every day household items, like paper towels, which are making a significant impact on our environment.

More statistics from Green Seal state, “Every ton of 100% recycled paper saves an estimated 4,100 kilowatt-hours of energy, 7,000 gallons of water and 60 pounds of air pollutants. If all paper towels were made with 100% recycled materials, approximately 1 million tons of used paper would be kept out of our waste stream.”

Purchasing paper towels which are made from recycled content would be the first step your family can take to reduce waste.

Along with the paper content of the paper towels, there is also the paper content for the cardboard insert. While paper towels themselves are often unrecyclable after use, why not recycle the cardboard inside your paper roll?

If you community does not have a recycling program, reuse the cardboard insert whenever possible. Some ideas include cord holders, rubber band holders, bio-degradable planting pots, and hangar supports. Children love them for crafts – make a rain-stick, “sword”, flute, or a telescope. They also make an excellent box for party favors and small gifts.

Leave a comment with your favorite way to reuse the paper towel cardboard insert and help the online community make a difference!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! http://www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - http://www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Comments

[Shayna]

Amen, sista! I'm strict about recycling paper towel myself - and only being those made from recycled materials.

I once had a guest stay at my place who used two rolls of paper towel in 3-4 days. I don't go through one roll in 2-3 months. He had no idea how wasteful he was being.

Over consumption, of course, is another blog post altogether :P

[Emily]

I just recycle the cardboard insert. We also DON'T buy them in bulk - three packs are the biggest because I feel it equals out to the best plastic situation. And then paper towels are reserved for roughly 1% of the time (think: Kitty Barf) and the rest of the time we use bar mops and cloth napkins. Better for the environment AND our bank account.

[Randy]

Shawna,

We recycle everything, I'm still questioning Meg's choice of putting a whole feather pillow in the compost bin. We try to use sponges and dish rags instead of paper towels whenever we can. We only buy eggs in cardboard contains too, they go to the kindergarten class at Meg's or we give them back to the farmers at the local farmers market.