Paper Towels. Just look at them sitting there. All rolled up, so white and clean and unsuspecting. No one suspects the paper towels. But paper towels are super villains by night, harboring secret identities by day. I am here today to reveal to you my friends, the gross and misrepresented truth about paper towels.
It is my sad duty to inform you that paper towels are the arch nemesis of the environment. The poor, helpless environment, that suffers so woefully in modern times! But alas, not all is lost and I am here to guide you citizen because only YOU can help protect the environment and prevent the spread of the dangerous paper towels!
Now, you might be thinking to yourself "Well, Giggler01, you've really lost it now! Paper towels aren't harmful to the environment! They're made from recycled paper! And they can be recycled! And EVEN if I throw my paper towels out, well they're PAPER. They will biodegrade into the earth and the law of karma states that the universe will be balanced." And I will admit young padawan, that I was once blissfully ignorant like yourself, but I have seen the error of my misguided ways and I shall not rest until the whole of Whyville recognizes the evils of paper towels!
To begin, I would like you to think about where the roll of paper towels on your countertop came from. Do you know? I'm willing to bet a million bajillion of my clams* that you have never stopped to think about how that roll of disposable rags made it into your kitchen. Well, I have. And when I started to think about, I thought to myself, "Self, there's only one way to find out where paper towels come from." And so I hopped into my carbon dioxide emitting car and I went to the supermarket where I found an abundance of paper towels - enough paper towels to clean up years and years worth of spills!
Of course, that beautiful, spotless, crisp paper towels did not place themselves on the grocery store shelf. No, they were placed there on the shelf by an employee (who is grossly underpaid, I might add) who retrieved it from the storage room in the back. Well, did paper towels just suddenly appear in the store room magically? Sadly, I can not report such a feat. No, the truth is much more grim. A carbon dioxide spewing truck delivered those paper towels, contributing to the global warming which will wreak havoc around the world.
But where did the truck get it's supply of paper towels? Miles and miles away, at a mill. A pulp and paper mill. Oh the unspeakable evils of the paper mill! Outsiders can not know of the monstrous tasks which are performed by honest men and hard working machines in a paper mill - but I will do my best to convey these unspeakable deeds. You see, I'm not sure if you're aware of this but paper is made from trees (Gasp!, I know). And trees are not white like the paper towels in your pantry, are they? No comrades, trees are not in fact white. So what happens to make paper towels that lovely white color? The answer is a process known as bleaching - and to spare you all of the details, I shall conclude by briefly stating that bleaching is one of the worst process for the environment in the world, no two ways about it.
And where do the trees come from? Well, all over the world, really. At least - those places in the world who haven't entirely clear-cut their forests. And logs need to be transported from where they are cut to the mill for bleaching. Usually logs get a lovely swim or sometimes, they ride in another truck contributing to global warming. While some trees are replanted, often they are cut before they age enough to replicate the benefits of the first tree chopped down.
But wait - what about recycled paper towels? Well, these also carry a number of associated environmental problems. Often, recycled paper towels require similar amounts of energy input as virgin paper towels, and reused paper needs to be bleached and transported, too. Furthermore, the term recycled can sometimes be misleading - as waste generated during paper creating in the mill can be "re-cycled" and incorporated into paper towels - but it still came from a tree!
So did you catch all of that? The logs are cut down and transported, bleached and processed, transported, sold and transported, used and thrown away where they contribute to considerable landfill waste. And holey moley, wouldn't you know that there's a problem in the landfill, too! In order for paper to biodegrade (be broken into smaller pieces) it requires two things - water and oxygen, and while you and I might have no problem getting these two things on a daily basis, the same can not be said for our friend the paper towel. In fact, studies of old landfills have found still legible phone books dating back thirty years in some dumps! Furthermore, recycling of paper towels is often not an option, not only because of inadequate recycling programs, but also because paper towels are made from such low-grade paper that they can not be recycled again, or even if they can be recycled initially, food contamination quickly renders this possibility an impossibility.
Does all of this mean you should quit using paper towel? Not necessarily! It just means that before you reach for a paper towel, you should consider whether the same task can be accomplished by a rag. Or, I have recently learned of a very cool product called Shop Towels - blue paper towels made with cellulose which feel like paper towel but which can be thrown in the washer again and again so they contribute much less waste to landfills! Smart paper towel use is just one small aspect of your life you can incorporate into your day-to-day activities which will make the environment and me smile.
Wipe up, not out!
Giggler01
*Disclaimer: Bet will not be honored.
