My family visited from England recently and the only thing they didn’t love about their entire visit was my toilet paper! Admittedly, it’s choc full of post-consumer content, so could be described as not exactly velvet-like by some, but I’ve been using it for so long, that I don’t notice. Recycled toilet paper has come a long way – back in the day it was brown or gray with flecks and similar in texture to the finest grade of sandpaper! Today you can find white, completely normal looking T.P. that is comparable price-wise with any other. So you wonderful G.G. women out there – no excuses because the white fluffy T.P. is an eco-girl’s nightmare – to get the fluff-factor, manufacturers need to use fiber taken from standing trees and we’re talking about a lot of standing trees – trees from North America, South America and even from old-growth forests in Canada.
Because of the recession, sales of plush, premium T.P. are falling and companies such as Marcal will be introducing their earth-friendly toilet paper in April. This toilet paper will be available in many big box chains and will be priced below conventional brands, because of the lower cost of recycled materials.
While you’re at it, make sure that you also buy napkins and paper towels made from 100% post-consumer waste too. Also try to find the non-bleached variety, as you’ll be doing a double favor for mother earth. Processing that involves chlorine bleaching, emits carcinogenic dioxins, which stay in our precious environment, making their way up the food chain. I’d love to hear how you’re all doing on the T.P. front – are you still a fluff-girl or have you moved on? It’s also important to make sure that your paper is made from the highest percentage of post-consumer content as possible. Here are the brands that have the highest score: 365 (Whole Foods), Seventh Generation, Planet, Marcal, and Green Forest.
Hi Sophie,
Knowing we were running low on T.P., I was looking forward to making the switch to 100% post-consumer content T.P. But when I headed out to our grocery store, I was disappointed to see NO post-consumer content options. Even more frustrating and saddening was that our local Target didn’t carry any either!
What’s a gorgeously green girl to do when we can’t even find a post-consumer content T.P. option at our usual stores?!
What about not using paper at all – cloth napkins (classier, too) and simply using rags?
I have been using the Marcal Sunrise brand for a few months . Love it. I also like Seventh Generation products. It is so nice to have good choices.
Rags for cleaning, that is. 🙂
I use recycled TP. Marcal has been making TP “paper from paper, not from trees” for years.
CVS Pharmacy has their own brand of recycled TP and it is cheap!
Ihave been uable to locate your easy online quiz. Where is it?
Thanks to my daughter in law I am reading your much needed book. Thank you for helping our planet.
Bonnie
You can find eco-friendly TP and a ton of other green goods online at drugstore.com. As a green girl living in a rural area, I highly recommend making the switch to on-line shopping for most purchases. It saves me a ton of time, hassle, money, and it’s a lot easier on the planet than making the one hour drive (one way!) to the nearest mall.