6 Eco Friendly Toilet Paper Ideas For A Planet-Friendly Potty
Originally Published on sustainablejungle.com
*This post contains affilate links
We need to get to the bottom (pun intended) of the type of waste none of us want to think about — toilet paper.
After a quick wipe and flush, it’s rare to give a second thought to those dutiful sheets, or where they came from (unless they’re clogging your toilet).
While this is one area of sustainability that isn’t as glamorous as, say, ethical jewelry or sustainable fashion, a zero waste bathroom is just as important.
Just because something is disgusting doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be discussing it.
Thankfully, there are some brands who are trying to prevent us from flushing our planet down the drain. They aren’t afraid to come out as pro-planet and pro-poo so why shouldn’t we be?
For those who are ready for a bum shower, we welcome you to join many parts of the world by checking out a Whisper Bidet. If traditional toilet paper is a must-have in your home, get it recycled from Who Gives A Crap. And, for the bravest bums out there, some of you may be interested in trying reusable toilet paper from Marley’s Monsters.
Let’s start giving a s*** about our planet, by starting with the best eco friendly toilet paper.
QUICK LINKS FOR SUSTAINABLE TOILET PAPER
1. WHISPER BIDET
Whisper Bidet Eco Friendly Toilet Paper (or Lack Thereof)
The most eco friendly toilet paper solution is no toilet paper, i.e zero waste toilet paper.
Sounds like fake news… or does it?
Bidets are nothing new, but for years, Americans, Canadians, and Australians were oddly resistant to the idea. We can’t imagine why. What’s not to love about “a tiny shower for your butt™?”
We get it; there’s some apprehension about a toilet break sans toilet paper. But one look at Whisper’s customer reviews (“hits the spot,” “exceeds expectations,” and “you will not regret it”) may have you doing a double take.
Most people will tell you that switching to a bidet is a life-changing and fant-ass-tic choice.
The Whisper Bidet is an affordable and easy-to-use way to clean after a poop. If you live in the Western world, let’s break down the way a “booty fountain” works.
A bidet is a bathroom fixture that hooks onto the back rim of your toilet bowl via the seat and sprays water at your butt (or vagina) to clean it.
Contrary to common belief, a bidet will not soak you, or your entire bathroom. Stay seated and it will go directly where it’s supposed to (though you may have to angle yourself to get the best results).
After 5 to 15 seconds of spraying, you can use a few squares of old fashioned toilet paper (or better, a reusable cloth) to dab dry.
The only plumber’s crack the process will involve? Yours. The Whisper Bidet can be installed by anyone in minutes.
About Whisper Bidet
The average American uses 57 squares of toilet paper daily.
Aside from general below-the-belt discomfort after excessive wiping, toilet paper is known for leftover bacterial residue that may lead to UTIs, amongst other issues. Fortunately, Whisper is changing that, encouraging US and Canadian residents to hop (or sit) on the bidet bandwagon.
They want to make a bum wash more commonplace in our homes:
“It all starts with an open mind and a clean butt.”
Switching to a bidet will save money, toilet paper (80%, to be exact), water, the planet, and your a$$ in the process.
Available: Whisper Bidet
2. TUSHY
Tushy’s Eco Friendly Toilet Paper and Bidets
Tushy’s got all your tushys covered. Don’t feel bummed about wasted toilet paper and water; let Tushy help.
We’ll start out with their two bidet attachments: Classic and Spa.
While the Classic bidet attachment is perfectly capable of refreshing your bum after you do the business, the Spa satisfies the fancy pants in all of us by offering pressure control and temperature control.
Though be warned, hooking up the hot water hose requires piping into your sink’s hot water line (which can be a little more complicated). No matter though; the cold splash is a surefire way to wake you up in the morning.
Either way, Tushy will keep all your dirty little secrets in a range of colors. The bidets can be installed in about 10 minutes — all you need is your toilet, and a sink for the spa version.
If you’re feeling inclined to become a triumphant toileter, they’ve also got an all-in-one toileting system that features an ottoman, a stand with tissues, and the bidet.
Can’t part from old-fashioned toilet paper? Tushy can help there, too.
Feel like a queen (or king) of the throne with their bamboo eco friendly toilet paper. It’s soft and sustainable, with a much lower carbon footprint than regular paper, and is free of bleach and cancer-causing BPAs.
Plus it comes in adorably-designed paper wrappers (no plastic here).
About Tushy
According to Tushy, “wiping your butt with dry toilet paper is so 19th century.”
It takes a whopping 15 million trees, 253,000 tons of bleach, and 437 billion gallons of water to produce America’s potty-break products.
The brand wants to re-think what happens after we chug our morning coffee. In other words, keep our butts clean and clean up our planet in the process.
They also help our backside give back. Every purchase of a bidet provides toilets to a community in India through their partnership with Samagra. PS. The poopy puns alone are worth a visit to their website.
Available: Tushy
3. WHO GIVES A CRAP
Who Gives a Crap’s Eco Friendly Toilet Paper
You won’t find any inks, dyes, or scents in Who Gives A Crap toilet paper.
What you will find is either sustainably sourced bamboo or recycled paper.
The bamboo toilet paper is forest friendly and super soft (“it’s like wiping with clouds”). Soft eco friendly toilet paper that isn’t scratchy for the planet either? That’s a big thumbs up from us.
The 100% recycled toilet paper is great value and made with 95% post-consumer waste paper and 5% post-industrial paper. The clean papers are pulped at high temperatures which makes the TP 100% hygienic, BPA-free, biodegradable.
It is also whitened with hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine bleach.
WGAP’s products are made in China by producers who meet their strict standards and processes. They also source materials locally near their factories, which means a smaller supply chain and shipping footprint.
In addition, they use colorful paper wrappers and recycle cardboard boxes to ship (all sans plastic). Everything is compostable and the cute wrappers make for a perfect gift wrap solution (especially for those eco friendly gifts you’re buying), crafting supplies, or even dog doo grabbers.
Speaking from personal experience with this brand and our chat with the founder on our podcast (this is not a sponsored feature), buying eco friendly toilet paper bulk is a very good idea. We not only save tons of money doing it, but only order a few times a year, reducing lots of shipping emissions.
We also didn’t have to worry when panic hoarding set in.
About Who Gives a Crap
Who Gives a Crap loves toilet paper. Why? Because it allows them to make a difference.
When the eco friendly toilet paper company was first launched in Australia via Kickstarter, more than 2.4 billion people didn’t have access to a toilet. That’s roughly 40% of the global population. This puts adults and especially children at serious risk for diarrheal diseases caused by poor sanitation.
In fact, one child dies every two minutes because of this.
Over the last decade, that number has decreased to 2 billion people without a toilet. Some of that is certainly thanks to WGAP, who donate 50% of their profits to improve sanitation and build toilets in the developing world. Which has amounted to $5.7 million donated to potty partners around the globe
Naturally, they’re a Certified B Corporation.
Available: Who Gives A Crap
4. PURE PLANET CLUB
Pure Planet Club’s Eco Friendly Toilet Paper
Pure Planet Club produces tree-free toilet paper that is plant-based, plastic-free, and 100% natural.
Unlike conventional toilet paper made with virgin tree pulp, it’s made with renewable and sustainable bamboo.
Bamboo is one the world’s most eco friendly plants. Unlike trees, bamboo doesn’t need to be cut down and killed for its pulp. Rather, the stalk can be cut off at the base leaving the root ball intact to resprout. Bamboo also sequesters far more carbon than regular trees.
Pure Planet’s bamboo is sustainably-sourced from well-managed plantations in Asia. They manufacture the toilet paper in China which also keeps their supply chain somewhat localized. They work closely with the factories to ensure they use ethical practices and pay fair trade wages.
The toilet paper is whitened using elemental free chlorine bleach (i.e. chlorine dioxide). For those of us who aren’t chemistry buffs, chlorine dioxide is ten times more soluble than the chlorine that is traditionally used.
Their thick eco friendly toilet paper ticks all the boxes: vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, septic-safe, BPA-free, and ultimately, guilt-free.
About Pure Planet Club
Pure Planet Club’s mission is to help everyday people make a difference in the world by preventing climate change and protecting our planet. This can be accomplished through a few simple swaps to some of our most common household items.
They started with sustainable toilet paper, but didn’t end there. They now make zero waste lip balm in compostable PCW paper packets.
The 100% percent plastic-free brand is also 100% natural, with no aluminum, parabens, or artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners in any of their products.
They ensure everything is manufactured in a sustainable and ethical manner.
Available: Pure Planet Club
5. MARLEY’S MONSTERS
Marley’s Monsters’ Eco Friendly Toilet Paper
Take a seat (even if it’s on the toilet) and bare (down) with us as we dive into this unfamiliar eco friendly toilet paper alternative: reusable toilet paper.
Just like their UNpaper Paper Towels, Marley’s Monsters’ Toilet UNpaper Roll is a 100% cotton flannel reusable toilet paper.
These non-flushable (we mean it — DON’T flush them) toilet paper wipes are designed to be used and collected in a bin or wet bag to be washed every two to three days.
We have yet to try these for ourselves (admittedly we’re not sure if we’re brave enough, but would love to know if anyone has). However, the reviews look pretty inspiring and they would pair perfectly well with a bidet…
About Marley’s Monsters
Marley’s Monsters is best known for their UNpaper Towels (also one of our favorite components of a good zero waste kit). Now they’ve taken their UNpaper mentality to the bathroom.
In addition to that, they have a range of bath and beauty, home and living, zero waste baby and mama, and kitchen and dining products (hello zero waste online store).
Based in Eugene, Oregon, family-owned Marley’s Monsters was started when Sarah Dooley wanted to make her not-yet-born daughter Marley something special. It started with a stuffed monster, and now the brand has a brick-and-mortar shop and happy customers scattered all around the globe.
As a BRING certified sustainable business, everything is handmade, packaged and shipped plastic free, and made using energy efficient techniques.
They donate any fabric waste to nonprofits who upcycle them into new products.
Available: Etsy
6. ORGANIC CRAFT STORE
Organic Craft Store’s Eco Friendly Toilet Paper
Now that you’ve stopped losing your s*** over the first mention of reusable toilet paper, we’re back at it with more from Organic Craft Store.
Their reusable toilet paper is one of the eco friendly toilet paper alternatives for the most committed of eco-warriors. Made from 100% high-quality cotton, the toilet paper won’t cause allergies, is easy to use and wash, and will save you a crapload of money.
They’re pre-washed with non-biological detergents and it’s recommended that you continue washing them with hot water (care instructions will come in your package). While normally we’re against washing clothes in hot water due to the additional energy consumption, when it comes to reusable bum wipes, you want to sanitize the crap out of it.
Cared for properly, these reusable toilet paper rolls will last 3–5 years with regular (again, pun intended) use.
About Organic Craft Store
Organic Craft Store values the same things we do: sustainable fabrics, zero waste lifestyles, and happy people all around the world.
Their motto is definitely something we resonate with: “Caring for ourselves is caring for nature.”
Liland is the brand’s owner, designer, and visionary. She’s a registered nurse, too (so you can be sure that her products are sanitary, hygienic, and healthy). OCS is located in Europe but they ship worldwide via Etsy’s carbon neutral shipping.
Available: Etsy
WHY ECO FRIENDLY TOILET PAPER ALTERNATIVES ARE A MUST
We’re fairly certain that you haven’t spent your week dwelling upon doody, let alone how to make it less wasteful. If you have, no judgment (the planet thanks you), and if you haven’t, here are some reasons why you should.
Contrary to the belief of several boys in your 5th grade class (and maybe even some of the men you now know), everybody poops (girls included).
This means there are more than 7.5 billion of us wiping our bottoms on the regular. And no matter what “regular” means to you, that’s a heck of a lot of toilet paper that’s not just clogging our septics, but our planet.
You can reuse, recycle, and minimize your consumption to produce just a jar-full of trash every year, but if you haven’t used your porcelain throne as a platform for sustainable change, you’re missing out on a big opportunity.
We don’t mean to flush away your other efforts, but there are some dirty sides to an eco friendly journey (literally).
A single roll of traditional toilet paper requires ⅓ KW electricity, 37 gallons of water, and 1.5 pounds of wood to produce. These rolls collectively are whitened with more than 253,000 tons of chlorinated bleach every year.
Unless you’re a three square kind of person (#respect), you’re unrollling your way to requiring a personal forest of at least 384 trees in your lifetime, just to clean your bum. Most of this is virgin tree pulp (as opposed to toilet paper made from recycled materials) grown on unsustainable monoculture plantations (one of biodiversity’s worst nightmares).
Globally, we’re flushing 27,000 trees down the toilet every day.
Whether you believe the end of the roll goes in front or in the back, we hope you’ll all agree that’s not okay.
What’s more, most toilet paper is wrapped in soft plastic that is difficult to recycle.
Essentially, we’re clogging toilets with chemically-soaked wet wipes, wiping our butts with deforestation, and buying from a toilet paper industrial complex that is extremely water-intensive, a particularly constipating environmental trifecta.
Unless we want to wipe away humanity’s chance of surviving on this planet, it’s clear we need to stop our business-as-usual mentality when we “take care of business.”
FINAL THOUGHTS ON ECO FRIENDLY TOILET PAPER
An average person will spend three years of their life sitting on the throne, so it’s important that we realize what impact that time has on our planet.
Hopefully this article made some sustainable skid marks in your mind and gave you something to think about on your next toilet visit. Or maybe you’re reading this while on the toilet and if so, we’re flattered.
While this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to get rid of toilet paper entirely and switch to something reusable, it should give you an idea of ways you can make a better impact while “dropping the kids off at the Super Bowl” (bathroom puns are just too hard to resist…).
At the very least, try to reduce the amount of sheets you use with every wipe. Besides, you never know when the hoarding will start…
We’ll pass the plunger to you now — What’s the most eco friendly toilet paper for you and can you see yourself ever switching to a tree free method? Help us keep this doody discussion going and drop any toilet tips you have below.
Tushy is a bidet startup which aims to replace toilet paper, Tushy was founded by Miki Agrawal.
