How can you reduce your paper towel usage? ^Y_5@q*Dly&eoGl-FOlJ^q$v4pH})$ wJYf-NU]',KL[\Rsvkem{r~tLt:pF]o;p8C;Hl8 3qvH0>T%Au*]NC+p%E.iXdrgivjCz.gY3v4mA+N.]3tr~9C>~+D9HN;\J"qZ.[2:@4*%sT)YMKY\fA4\D-FDp-=hP,Ch=d}j>~}w|v| ~%!S)g.l}urQfvg~}_xss3(lp&:=6FU)_}y FJ$iET2i'T#B&{EjgiZ? She has covered everything from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping to a group of doctors prescribing binaural beats for anxiety. allies in the fight against climate change, Learn more about the material's pros and cons here, Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us, The Spirit Almanac: A Modern Guide To Ancient Self Care. Recycled paper towels also use comparatively less energy and water during their production. Step 2: Make the switch. American Express This will help ensure that no old-growth forestsvaluable allies in the fight against climate changeare chopped down to clean up your messes. Amazing! *The average family of 4 uses 104 rolls of regular paper towels/year, at approx. paper dispenser recycled compostable towels natural Photo by: Stocksnap (Pixabay), Marcal is another brand with some of the best eco friendly paper towels on the market. Not only are these household items the eco product youve been waiting for, they come in a huge range of the most amazing designs! Are bamboo paper towels eco friendly? THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN COMPENSATED LINKS. Sea sponges are a natural alternative to plastic sponges and are a good substitute for paper towels. Cloud Paper offers a subscription service so you'll always have a stash of bamboo paper towels (nestled in recyclable, plastic-free packaging) waiting for you at home. Faux Leather vs Real Leather: Which One is More Eco Friendly? You bet! This is a very green option as paper made from bamboo accounts for. The entire production lifecycle of commercial paper towel rolls is unsustainable, from the large volumes of water and energy consumed, the millions of metric tonnes of carbon dioxide and methane released each year, not to mention toxic chemicals found in dyes and bleaches, Are paper towels bad for the environment? And that argument also doesnt take into consideration all of the other resources used to produce paper towels. A cellulose sponge is a sponge made from wood or bamboo fibres. They have a place in the paper towel alternative universe as well. Marcal is another brand with some of the best eco friendly paper towels on the market. paper towel roll js karat pack These ancient, multicellular creatures are in fact sea animals, and theyve been around for millions of years. When it comes to cleaning up around the house, few tools are as convenient as the trusty paper towel roll. biodegradable That's pretty easy as well. They're easy to clean, come in assorted colourful designs, and will last up to 150 uses if well cared-for. You get where Im goin with thisno need to elaborate. These environmentally friendly paper towels are also super strong and absorbant. But this comparison analysis argues otherwise. How is paper towel made? Youll be amazed at their absorbency and their quick-dry nature. This keeps them fresher longer, with none of that mildew smell that can plague regular fabric cloths. Tree-free paper towels tackle one of the most nefarious paper towel problems: deforestation. is a, Loofah vegetables are surprisingly long-lasting and since they are entirely organic, they can be tossed in the compost at the end of their life. Paper towels that have been whitened with chemicals are not compostable, and they're deemed unrecyclable once you use them to soak up food items like grease. Cellulose sponges are easy to clean and maintain. Proudly created with, detailed review on Who Gives a Crap toilet paper, Cellulose sponges are easy to clean and maintain. You use it for all your cleaning needs, then simply rinse out as needed and use again and again and again. Our online classes and training programs allow you to learn from experts from anywhere in the world. Disposable Paper Towels have become such a landfill nightmare. Photo by: Manfred Richter (Pixabay), For vegans looking for a natural cleaning sponge, they need look no further than the loofah which surprise! towel paper biodegradable industrial larger Visa. Cloud Paper Bamboo Paper Towels ($33.99/12 rolls). Click here to read more about the benefits of sea sponges. Some of those machines, like the trucks that transport the paper, also emit carbon into the atmosphere. We love the dual-sided eco sponge from the Zero Waste Outlet. And if you use Swiffer or other Dry Sweeper Mops, add even more BIG savings on top of this! One of the best things about them is that they are antibacterial by nature: after rinsing and ringing them out, they dry super fast much faster than a regular dishcloth giving bacteria no chance to grow. It can be as simple as using one sheet or even half a sheet instead of two, and looking for suitable alternatives to everyday kitchen jobs for which we normally turn to paper towels. is a vegetable. Sponges are another green alternative to paper towels. Click here for more details or to purchase a set of 3 beeswax wraps from the Zero Waste Outlet. The absorbency of their reusable paper towel alternative increases with each wash. Click here for more details or to purchase unpaper towels. To top it all off, despite what people think, paper towels are not recyclable and many are not even compostable, thanks to those bleaches and dyes. Each tree has huge value, let's appreciate the reusable. For a deep-clean, you can even run them through the dishwasher (on the top rack) or microwave them for 30 seconds to disinfect (make sure the sponge is wet when your put it in the microwave; never put a dry sponge in the microwave as it could catch fire.). While a step in the right direction, recycled, compostable and tree-free paper towels are still single-use products, so lets look at a zero waste paper towels option: Swedish dishcloths are one of the best eco friendly replacements for paper towels. Why can't we use a sheet, rinse it out and place it in the sink instead? Now, you may have heard some people drop the argument that reusable towels arent that much better than paper towels since you have to continually wash them, which uses water and energy. ply tissues paper towels 1ply fold recycled hand soclean gompels All rights reserved. Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us. Click here for more details or to purchase some loofah sponges. They are then produced in Germany using a blend of FSC-certified wood pulp and GOTS-certified organic cotton, and then printed in the US. Apple Pay As their name implies, this company started out selling planet-friendly toilet paper but their success in the tree-free realm has led them to expand into paper towel, too. Unbleached, Compostable and Recycled Paper Towels. paper towels towel pulp recycled eco friendly biodegradable larger in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. Meets or Exceeds EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for post-consumer / recycled content. No chlorine bleach or ozone-depleting chemicals used. INKS -Wowables use natural pigmentation dyes and the process to color the fabric is a proprietary process that allows maximum color saturation, all certified to meet international Oeko-Tex Standard 100, no harmful ingredients added. Click here for more details or to purchase a set of 5 coconut scrubbers. #1. Even though these Seventh Generation paper towels are white, they arent made with chlorine bleach and dont contain any other dyes, so they are still totally compostable post-use. **Swiffer Sweeper is a registered trademark of The Procter & Gamble Company. They can last for up to six years, making them a very low-waste option and of course, they are entirely biodegradable. Some are also made from agricultural waste products like the left-over chaff from rice, wheat and rye that would otherwise be discarded or burned, giving them extra zero waste cred. Individually wrapped in recyclable plastic - Please Recycle. Photo by: Volodymyr Hryshchenko (Unsplash), Sea sponges are another natural and eco-friendly option. It's also a certified B Corp for its corporate commitments to sustainability (like carbon-neutral shipping and plastic-free packaging). Now, I get that some situations may call for paper towels, like cleaning up oil and grease in the kitchen, or cleaning up after your pet when they release themselves on your living room floor. No need to use paper towels for that when youve got cellulose sponges, sea sponges, loofahs or coconut scrubbers! Here are some things to think about that you may not have thought of: Plus: paper towels cant be recycled, so unless youre putting them in a compost (which most people arent), theyre headed straight to the landfill. With Wowables, you don't throw a sheet away each and every time you use it, like you do a regular disposable paper towel sheet. towel paper biodegradable multipurpose cleaning larger Stay Green and Stock your business, restaurant, food truck, office, kitchen, or home with environmentally-friendly products like these Victoria Bay Paper Towels. Click here for more details or to purchase a 2-pack of this eco sponge. Their Green Seal certified biodegradable paper towels actually exceed EPA Guidelines for post-consumer recycled content. made out of cotton (a natural fiber) infinitely reusable, replaces thousands of paper towels machine washable, can absorb as much as 17 paper towels would great for wiping down counters & surfaces and cleaning up heavy spills, air dries quickly so it doesnt breed bacteria can be washed in the dishwasher or washing machine hundreds of times, made from natural fibers (cellulose and recycled cotton) biodegradable/compostable, lasts 9-12 months (and can be composted when its time to be put out to pasture). Why, you ask? In addition to paper towel, they have an abundance of other tree-free paper products, from toilet paper to facial tissue. They are much more eco-friendly than plastic-based sponges which are usually made from nylon or polyester, both products of the petroleum industry. Heres a fun fact for you: Guess how much money the world spends on paper towels each year? To further reduce waste, the paper towels have a half-sheet perforation, and, they are totally biodegradable. They are typically made from cellulose derived from more sustainable sources, like bamboo, sugarcane or cotton hence the label tree-free. its harder to keep a white t-shirt looking clean and bright than it is for a colored shirt. If you want to save even more $$$, check out our. While plastics like water bottles and straws are what usually come to mind when we think about waste, another household item is causing new alarm: But its not just the raw materials that are a problem. Anti-Microbial Clean n' Wipe Cloths - Comparable to Clorox Handi Wipes - 6 pack, Cellulose Sponge Cloths aka "Swedish Cloth"- 2 pack, Swiffer Sweeper Compatible Dry Sweeping Cloth Refills, 32 Count, 3,000 Tons of Waste to our Landfills DAILY), CCPA - Privacy Policy Notice for CA residents, One 30 count roll replaces up to 13,260 Disposable Paper Towel Sheets, Each Perforated Sheet can be used over and over and over again, lasting weeks or longer (depending on household usage), Ultra Absorbent and "Wicks" Faster than average paper towels meaning speedier clean ups, Save Landfills (In the USA alone, our abuse of regular paper towels contributes, Open jars and remove lids easier with a sheet of Wowables, Use with or without your favorite cleaner, Use Dry top pick up spills but damp for general cleaning, Use One Sheet Over and Over for Drying out Produce and Vegetables, 60 Day Money Back Guarantee (see this link for more details). and they make using a paper towel look cheap AF], made of 100% organic cotton machine washable infinitely reusable. Using a kitchen towel! 100% compostable and biodegradable and very durable, coconut kitchen scrubbers get the job done without shedding microplastics or creating a lot of waste. In addition to being 100% bamboo, these extra absorbent two-ply paper towel rolls are totally plastic-free and contain no inks or dyes; the box they come in is also recyclable! After a lot of trial and error, Nature Bee has perfected their beeswax wraps which are made from 100% cotton fabric, locally-sourced beeswax, certified food-safe pine tree resin and sustainably harvested organic jojoba oil. A purchase from Three Bluebirds is a vote for protecting the Earth and living a simplified, sustainable lifestyle. Or maybe youre one of those people whos always used a paper towel and has no interest in ever switching to anything other than a paper towel. are great for drying hands, they can leave lint on surfaces. paper towels kitchen biodegradable hand larger Paper towels. 5 mistakes most eco conscious businesses make, The Ultimate Guide to Buying Second Hand Furniture, Clothing and Everything in Between, 7 Mindful Valentines Day Gift Ideas Your Beau Will Never Forget, plastic packaging (made from fossil fuels) to package the rolls, energy (aka more fossil fuels) to power the machines that cut, transport and convert the trees into paper. A B-Corp and Green America-certified company, Bees Wrap aims to not only sell a useful, eco-friendly product, but also use their company as a vehicle for change. Its simple: simply rinse and hang to dry! e6)EIgf"{lf||U7$8GzR'F5'_)F]TH_rGetd|lF hV23dp",5g;p~Y7U?K Your email address will not be published. Then look no further than UNpaper Towels or a Swedish dish cloth. Then, you have the deforestation issue: Imagine the number of trees that are chopped down to create the 3.7 million tons of paper towels Americans use each year. With all the absorbency of paper towel and then some, Papaya paper towels pick up more mess. And today, there are so many eco friendly alternatives to paper towels that its a much easier and more affordable swap than youd think. Another cellulose sponge to try is the Kolo Nature Unsponge: The unsponge is made from 100% natural, biodegradable materials. For you DIY types, you might want to consider some knitted dishcloths. Free Carbon-Neutral Shipping on Orders Over $89 (Continental US), You are there! After use, simply rinse them out and allow them to dry completely. They work with partners like 1% for the Planet and donate to ocean conservation and water stewardship organizations. And 120,000 tons of waste could be saved if each USA household utilized 3 fewer rolls/year, in addition, it would eliminate $4,100,000 in landfill dumping fees. While a step in the right direction, recycled, compostable and tree-free paper towels are still single-use products, so lets look at a zero waste paper towels option: unpaper towels. A single sponge can replace as many as 3000 individual paper towels (30 rolls), making them a great investment! Thats a lotta freakin money that we could be spending onfiguring out climate change, or I dont know removing plastic water bottles from the ocean. Weve outlined some of the best paper towel alternatives on the market today, heres another look: Got a really nasty, greasy, oily mess on your hands? Like the other tree-free products on our list, these paper towels are made from a combination of bamboo and sugarcane, are absorbant and durable. In this blog well introduce you to some of the best sustainable paper towels and other eco friendly alternatives that you wont believe have been missing from your life. Photo by: indytute (Unsplash), Beeswax wraps are also easy to care for: just wipe them off using, A women-and-youth-run Canadian company, Nature Bee is on a mission to create a better food wrap for people and the planet. But its not just the raw materials that are a problem. Meta Pay A women-and-youth-run Canadian company, Nature Bee is on a mission to create a better food wrap for people and the planet. Cloth dishtowels have been commonly used as sustainable alternatives to paper towels in many households. Proudly created with Wix.com. The environmental impact of traditional paper towels is huge. Cleaning your home can seem like a never-ending task, especially if youre the only one LOLA ROLA STICKY MOP REFILL, 1 COUNT, 903-1, Lola Rola Sticky Mop Refill, 6 count - SPECIAL VALUE, The Revolution Microfiber Spin Mop System, Wowables Reusable & Biodegradable Paper Towels | 30 Sheets of Reusable and Washable Paper Towels | Replaces up to 13,260 Disposable Paper Towel Sheets | Dishwasher and Machine Washable. towels hand paper ply fold code Thanks for explaining how a Swedish dishcloth can easily wipe surfaces and counters without the fear of bacteria. Most of us dont really stop to think about how to make paper towels, but the fact is, commercial paper towel is made from trees. Invented by Swedish engineer Curt Lindquist in 1949, these cloths feel like nothing short of a paper towel miracle. Easy to make and a great way to learn to knit! Their knitted texture also helps in cleaning dirty messes, making them a more effective alternative to paper towels. Traditional Swedish dishcloths are designed to replace 17 rolls of paper towel helping you clean up while you reduce waste! And did we mention it's biodegradable? At least thats how much we spent in 2017, and you bet your ass that number is growing.
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