EXPLORING NATURE: TOILET PAPER

One odd chapter in any book about the current pandemic would deal with the topic of toilet paper. At one time, there was a rush on buying this essential product and store shelves were barren in some places.

Thankfully, supplies are now plentiful – but toilet paper is still a topic of interest to anyone who appreciates birds.

Toilet paper, or TP for short, is traditionally made from virgin wood pulp. We humans flush the equivalent of 270,000 trees down the toilet every day. These trees represent essential habitats for more than 300 species of birds. The trees also produce oxygen and absorb atmospheric carbon.

The average person uses 384 trees in a lifetime just for toilet paper.

Many concerned folks have chosen to buy TP made from recycled paper to lessen the environmental impact. Production of this recycled paper uses less energy and water than paper made from virgin wood.

An even better choice in terms of the environment is using toilet paper made from bamboo. The advantages of bamboo TP are many. A type of grass, bamboo grows 30 time faster than trees and can be harvested every three months. It produces TP that is stronger and requires fewer chemicals to make. Bamboo paper is also biodegradable and has no impact on global warming.

I personally have not made the switch but I am looking for a bamboo TP I can order on the internet. So far, I am considering Cheeky Panda, Who Gives a Crap, Bumboo and Green Cane.

My grandmother’s place had a two-hole outhouse when I was a kid and as I recall, the toilet paper was a Sears-Roebuck catalogue. I’m sure that was an improvement over corn cobs.