Limit exists for personal ‘green’ goals
Some items just aren’t meant to be reused
One of my personal goals is to be a good inhabitant of the planet Earth.
I turn the sink off when I’m brushing my teeth to conserve water, and I turn the lights off when I leave the room. I strive to remember to use my canvas bags when I go shopping to cut down on plastic grocery bag consumption, and my family uses metal water bottles instead of buying one-use plastic bottles. And when it comes to recycling, I’m all about it.
Of course, there are always ways one can improve one’s habits, and I try to stay on top of those ideas by reading reports from a variety of sources to see what’s new out there.
But this week, I found a level of being green that is just too much for me.
According to a report on USA Today, people are now using reusable toilet paper, or “family cloth.”
I’m sorry, but no. Just no.
In order for anything to be reused, it needs to be washed. And as the primary laundry washer in my house, I am simply not OK with the implications of that idea.
For that to be successful, one must first devise some sort of storage system for used items, and then one has to transfer those used cloths to the washing machine. And, man, no. I just have absolutely no interest in that idea.
USA Today interviewed some experts who noted that once in the washing machine, one must use a super hot sanitize cycle and bleach, and even then, there’s a chance that dangerous pathogens can survive, meaning the transfer from the washer to the dryer can still transfer bacteria back to your hands. The dryer will do the trick, but now the washer is dirty, as are your hands from transferring the cloths from the washer to the dryer, and no. Still no.
The idea of cloth diapers doesn’t bother me as much, maybe because the human in question is very tiny, and most diapers take forever to break down in a landfill. (And it’s worth noting that toilet paper isn’t built to last forever.) But again, that’s all a matter of perception.
Apparently, my willingness to be environmentally friendly has limits. And I’m OK with that.
What are your thoughts, Yuma? How far will you go to be environmentally friendly? Do you think reusable toilet paper is a good idea or no? Share your thoughts online at www.YumaSun.com, or send us an email at letters@yumasun.com.