 Stop using paper towels and paper napkins!
When you have a spill or you need a quick clean up for something, your first instinct is to clean it up with a paper towel right? In addition, when you’re eating dinner with your family, I assume you use paper napkins as well. These products are so deeply embedded in almost every American household, that many people turn a blind eye to the toll they take on the environment. The roll of paper towels that’s sitting conveniently on your kitchen counter that you use once and throw away actually is more dangerous for the planet than you might realize. I think it’s a well-known fact that these products are made of paper and come from trees, right? So, in turn, the production and use of paper products such as these cause deforestation and create carbon emissions that lead to climate change. Unlike many paper products, they cannot be recycled. This is because of their short fibers and because they contain components such as grease and liquids that make them impossible to recycle and process. Other than the fact that they’re non-recyclable, they have a larger impact on the planet than we realize. The decomposition of paper towels releases methane, which is almost 23 times more potent and dangerous for the planet than carbon dioxide, which is a leading cause to global warming. This methane is released when the paper starts to biodegrade. So even though a company might pride themselves on their product being biodegradable, it still has a disastrous impact. Paper makes up the largest share of municipal waste in the U.S, which accounts for around 292.4 million tons of waste. That’s approximately 4.9 pounds per person per day. This is such a simple fix! If we shift to reusable rags that we can just wash that would cut down on a tremendous amount of waste with such minimal effort. This is another example of small actions from individuals making lasting impacts. Comments are closed.
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