Last I checked the paper towels at Costco don't have any recycled content in them either (I am open to being proven wrong, just don't tell my husband...) and they are wrapped in enough plastic to tarp your patio furniture. There are wonderful alternatives to paper towels, like old washcloths, towels and great reusable cloths that can be used hundreds of times like Twist Cloths (available at Whole Foods Market). Some of their cloths are actually made from Bamboo, which is an extremely renewable resource. Or get yourself a ShamWow! So, make a pledge to use at least one less roll of paper towels a month, and then build on it. And keep track of how much money you are saving by not buying that pack of paper towels every grocery store trip. To all of you skeptics, I have an 85 lb. golden retriever and a 3-year old...yet I still manage to make a 3-pack of paper towels last at least a month. If you feel like this process may lead to withdrawal symptoms and you just can't live without your paper towels, do me a favor and at least buy the ones made with recycled content and not whitened with chlorine bleach. Or go old school and buy the brown "every bathroom at school had these" paper towels, which are lint-free, hypoallergenic and free of all dyes. Seventh Generation makes both of these kinds of paper towels, and they can be found at many grocery stores these days.
Go Green & Save Some Green...
By ,
March 25, 2010 at 7:22 pm
As part of my plight in helping people "add a little green to their daily routine," I try to show how you can actually save a good amount of money in the process. That being said, I will be including weekly tips on Chicago Green Girl about how you can save green by going green. Each day (at home, in our offices & schools) there are simple things that you can do to tread a bit more lightly on this planet which will end up saving you money in the long run.
One of my biggest pet peeves in my newly reformed green life is watching people shop at stores like Costco. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Costco. But Costco shoppers need to instill a bit of restraint in their daily lives. Just because you can buy a pack of twelve paper towels and save by buying them in bulk, it DOES NOT mean that you are supposed to use all twelve rolls in a week. Or two. Or even ten. Okay, maybe ten is acceptable, but try to make it at least twelve - one roll a week...
Not only do paper towels obviously use a good amount of paper (from trees, duh) to produce, but they then end up clogging our landfills. 3,000 tons a day to be exact. Think about how much waste is also produced just to make those paper towels - bleaching them with chlorine bleach, adding dyes to the fancy ones that you can buy to match your kitchen, wrapping them in loads o' plastic and shipping them overseas & cross-country.
Paper towels are a luxury item, they are far from a necessity. And paper towels ain't cheap either, they cost around $1.00 - $2.00 a roll depending on the brand. So, let's do some 4th grade math, which is about my level these days unfortunately...
We've been paper towel-free in our house for at least three years, and we don't miss them one bit. I have to put out new kitchen towels at least every other day (obviously we go through more for big jobs), but I honestly don't think my laundry load has increased significantly at all since we switched. I feel pretty good about it!
I like your tip for the old-fashioned brown paper towels. I didn't know they were available to the public. Currently, I use whatever brand paper towel is on sale and balance that out with using a wash cloth to make them last longer. So far so good. I wish I could be as good as you...3 a month, that's great!