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With more than 90% of US households taking advantage of the convenience of paper towels, we produce more than 3,000 tons of waste every day. Is this problem insurmountable? No, if every household simply replaced a roll of its traditional paper towels with paper towels made from recycled paper, we could avoid wasting 3.4 million cubic feet of landfill space and cut down 864,000 trees.

The benefits of recycled paper towels

By using recycled paper towels, we are doing much more than simply reducing landfill waste. According to Ideal Bite, “For every ton of 100% recycled paper purchased, about 4000kWh of energy and 7,000 gallons of water are saved. It also prevents the release of 60 pounds of pollutants into the air.”

Reduce waste of paper towels

Even using recycled paper towels, people tend to have wasteful habits. What can you do to gently help remind people to cut down on paper towels? You can participate in campaigns against the waste of 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 environmentalism, viral marketing and user interface design with the goal of reducing consumer paper waste.” What exactly is this “experiment”? Using inexpensive vinyl stickers and guerilla marketing tactics, the ad-hoc team “The Come From Trees” spread the message of reducing consumers’ paper waste. Here’s a breakdown of their strategy:

• People like you stick vinyl decals with the message “Remember … These come from trees” on paper towel dispensers for public areas.

That’s it. To quote the These Come From Trees blog, it is truly amazing “how the right message at the right time can make a difference.” Since each sticker includes a URL for people to visit (http://www.thesecomefromtrees.com/), they help to promote public awareness of this growing problem.

How effective are projects like this?

According to tests conducted by the These Come From Trees team, their awareness stickers can reduce paper towel consumption by up to 15%, they continue, stating that each sticker can save around 100 pounds of paper a year, which is equivalent to a tree. If you consider that the average cafeteria uses about 1000 pounds of paper towels and the average fast food restaurant with two bathrooms can use up to 2000 pounds a year, 15% can add up to a lot of savings.

What about reusable replacements for paper towels?

Although paper towels are common, they are it is not the only solution, products made of cotton or linen can be washed and reused many times. In some cases, sponges that offer longer product life can handle work that you normally relegate to a paper towel.

Choose the best option for the situation

While you can easily control your options at home and guerrilla projects like “Remember … These come from trees” remind people to reduce their use in public areas, it is important to always understand which is the best option for each. situation you are in: environmentally speaking.

If you’re drying your hands and have a choice between an electric hand dryer and paper towels, which is the best option 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 manufacturers continually improve electric hand dryers and continue to be more energy efficient, the paper towel, for all intents and purposes, has hit its plateau.

Reduce, reuse and recycle

As you are constantly bombarded by the three R, “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”, this is another case in which the three Rs offer society the best solution. By reducing the use of paper towels, we can prevent more trees from being felled and avoid the emissions created by making new paper. By moving towards more reusable options like washable fabric, we can stop the waste cycle altogether. By purchasing recycled paper products and recycling our paper products at the end of their useful life, we can conserve our valuable natural resources and reduce emissions.

Convenience items, such as paper towels, started out as a luxury, became common and are now subject to massive abuse. Who pays the cost of this abuse? The environment. By making smarter decisions, we can reduce the waste of paper we contribute to and recycle our existing paper products. With an ever-growing population and static land size, we are faced with the sobering prospect of running out of our precious natural resources. He separates himself remembering to keep what he can and what he can.