Are bidets more earth friendly than toilet paper?

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A clearcut section of boreal forest on Waswanipi Cree land in Quebec, Canada.

Monday April 22nd, 2019 is Earth Day, the world’s largest environmental campaign.  Why is Earth Day important?  It’s a day to remind us to be kind to our earth, after all, the earth is our home.  Earth Day is a day to bring awareness and education to problems we face as a species.  If we can learn how our modern lives are causing damage to this beautiful world we call home, perhaps we can change some of our habits and actions to improve everyone’s lives. I’m here specifically to talk about toilet paper today, and how a bidet toilet seat can change your toilet paper use.

The environmental impact of toilet paper.

A clear cut section of boreal forest on Waswanipi Cree land in Quebec, Canada.

We all use toilet paper, every day.  According to my research, the average American uses 3 rolls of toilet paper a week!  Most people prefer the cushy toilet paper, the kind that is soft and absorbent.  In recent months it has come to my attention that this toilet paper isn’t good for the environment.  It is estimated that annually in the United States alone toilet paper production utilized: 15 million trees, 473,587,500,000 gallons of water, 253 tons of chlorine and 17.3 terawatts of electricity.  Often not taken into account is the impact of toilet paper packaging and transportation.  According to an article from the Natural Resource Defense Council and Stand.earth, most toilet paper is manufactured from wood pulp, also known as virgin fiber. Much of this virgin fiber is from Canadian forests and has zero recycled content.  These Canadian boreal forests are being clear-cut and these clear-cuts come at a great cost the earth.  Shouldn’t something we use so much of make less of an impact on the world we live in?

 

Clear Water Bidets, Clean Sense dib-1500R Bidet Toilet SeatHow are bidets earth friendly?

All these facts and the thought of such destruction to our beloved earth is a little overwhelming.  May I suggest a toilet seat bidet?  When I got a bidet and got used to using it, I began to see the environmental implications of these toilet seat bidets.  Wow!  I was using so much less toilet paper!  If everyone in America reduced their toilet paper use it would have a big impact.

Isn’t the bidet process (the jet of warm water) using more water than wiping clean?

Considering the amount of water and chemicals used to produce toilet paper, nope, using a bidet uses less water.  Even recycled toilet paper requires water in the manufacturing process.  Bidets use 1/8th of a gallon of water for each use.

Is it better to wash instead of using toilet paper?

Using less toilet paper is obviously better for the environment but what about us?  Bidets improve our personal hygiene no matter who we are or what kind of life we live.  Whether you’re a healthy young person or someone living with a bowel disorder, you can benefit from a bidet.  Read more here.

More relative reading:

Here’s a link to an article talking about the environmental impact of toilet paper article that mentions bidets as an alternative: https://inhabitat.com/the-environmental-problem-with-toilet-paper-and-what-to-use-instead/

Read more about deforestation and find out what you can do to help: https://www.earthday.org/campaigns/reforestation/deforestation-climate-change/

Interested in learning more about bidet seats and their benefits?  Browse our website or call us at 360-565-5418 or 888-670-9389. You can also send us an email at info@clearwaterbidets.com. Or, stop by our showroom located at 151 Ruth’s Place Suite 4, Sequim, Washington 98382. Our friendly team will be happy to answer your questions.