4 Sustainable Alternatives for Toilet Paper

Looking for a few ways to make your ones and twos a little more sustainable? Here are four options to consider.

Recycled Paper

According to ToiletPaperHistory.net, "If every American household replaced just one toilet paper roll of virgin-fiber a year with a roll made from 100% recycled paper, approximately 425,000 trees would be saved annually."

What you're looking for is 80-100% post-consumer recycled content. Pre-consumer uses the pulp scraps left over from paper making, while post-consumer content is collected vie recycled paper waste. Many grocery stores carry Seventh Generation, while Whole Foods and Trader Joes both offer their own brands of recycled toilet paper. My favorite, and the brand with the highest environmental grade is Who Gives A Crap, which has the best price per roll and offers a subscription delivery service. A few added bonuses: their deliveries are completely plastic free, 50% of profits go towards building new toilets aruond the world, and each roll comes wrapped in adorable patterned paper that is great for crafting.

Bamboo

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth, so it's no wonder why it has become a popular sustainable alternative for wood and paper products. In addition to growing quickly, bamboo products produce 30% fewer greenhouse emissions than those made of virgin pulp.

I've seen bamboo toilet paper options in Target, but for better prices, look into getting a subscription from Who Gives A Crap or Reel.

Bidet

Bidets have been around since the 1700s, but never got too popular in the USA. You can install a bidet on any toilet and clean your bottom without using any or much less toilet paper, saving both paper and money. Think of it this way, if you got feces on your hand, you wouldn't just wipe it off with paper, you would wash it off.

There are plenty of inexpensive bidet options out there that you could try without breaking the bank. My husband and I have been discussing the bidet for months and finally invested in a Tushy bidet attachment. I'll be sure to write a review once we've had some practice.

Cloth

Before you completely rule out reusable cloth toilet paper, let me talk you through how it works. You keep a basket of cloth wipes on or near the toilet, use a wipe every time you use the restroom, and throw that wipe into a bucket or wet bag until wash day. I was initially grossed out by the idea, but we are going to try a cloth/bidet combo and see how it goes.

You can purchase an assortment of colors and patterns of cloth toilet paper from Marley's Monsters or plain white rolls from Package Free Shop. Or you can make your own from an old pair of pajama pants!