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Over 90% of American households enjoy the convenience of paper towels, and we produce over 3,000 tons of waste every day. Is this problem insurmountable? No – if every home were to simply swap one roll of their traditional paper towels for recycled paper towels, we could avoid wasting 3.4 million cubic feet of landfill space and prevent 864,000 trees from being cut down.
Benefits of recycled paper towels
By using recycled paper towels, we do much more than just reduce waste in landfills. According to Ideal Bite: “Every ton of 100% recycled paper purchased can save around 4,000 kWh of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. It also avoids the release of 60 pounds of pollutants into the air. ”
Reduce paper towel waste
Even using recycled paper towels, people tend to waste. What can you do to kindly remind people to reduce the use of paper towels? You can participate in campaigns against wasting consumer paper. It is these very wasteful habits that motivate projects like “These come from trees.”
“Remember … these come from trees”
According to the blog “These Come From Trees” they are “an experiment in environmental protection, viral marketing and user interface design aimed at reducing the amount of consumer waste!” What exactly is this “experiment”? Using cheap vinyl stickers and guerrilla marketing strategies, the ad hoc team of The Come From Trees spread the message of reducing consumer paper consumption. Here is a breakdown of their strategies:
- People like you stick vinyl stickers “Remember … These Come From Trees” to paper towel dispensers in public places.
That’s it. To quote These Come From Trees blog, it’s truly amazing “how the right message at the right time can make a difference.” As each sticker includes a URL that people can visit (http://www.thesecomfromtrees.com/), they help promote public awareness of this growing problem.
How effective are such projects?
According to tests by the These Come From Trees team, their information stickers can reduce paper towel consumption by up to 15%, they continue, claiming that each sticker can save around 100 pounds of paper per year, which is equivalent to one tree. Considering the average coffee shop uses around £ 1,000 of paper towels, and the average fast food restaurant with two toilets can use up to £ 2,000 a year, 15% can save you a lot of money.
What about replacements for reusable paper towels?
Even though paper towels are common, are they? not the only solutionproducts made of cotton or linen can be washed and reused many times. In some cases, sponges that offer a longer product life can handle work that would normally be dumped on a paper towel.
Choosing the best option for your situation
While you can easily control your options at home and guerrilla projects such as “Remember … These come from trees” remind people to limit their use in public places, it is important to always understand the best option for each situation you find yourself in – speaking from an environmental point of view.
If you dry your hands and have a choice between an electric hand dryer and paper towels, what is the best choice for the environment? While electric hand dryers have the environmental cost of the electricity used to power them, in terms of overall energy costs, solid waste, maintenance and cleaning costs, electric hand dryers are more efficient than paper towels. While electric hand dryers are constantly being improved by manufacturers and becoming more and more energy efficient, paper towels have practically reached their peak.
Reduce, reuse and recycle
While you are constantly bombarded by three R., “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” is another case where the three R principles offer the best solution to society. By reducing the use of paper towels, we can prevent more trees from being cut down and prevent emissions from producing new paper. By moving towards reusable options such as a washing cloth, we can stop the cycle of waste completely. By purchasing recycled paper products and recycling our paper products at the end of their life, we can protect our valuable natural resources and reduce emissions.
Convenient items like paper towels started out as a luxury, became commonplace and now they are subject to massive abuses. Who pays for this abuse? Environment. By making smarter choices, we can reduce the amount of paper waste we contribute to creation and recycle our existing paper products. Faced with an ever-growing population and the static size of the land, we face the sobering prospect of running out of precious natural resources. You are breaking up, remembering to keep what you can and where.
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Source by Sam Greyhawk