Americans use approximately 13 billion pounds of paper towels annually…what?! A paper towel barely weighs anything yet so many are used and the cost is on average $120-$150 per year, not to mention the environmental cost.
Are you or someone you know a paper towel enthusiast? Ready to reduce your usage of this single-use product? We are here for you with some great tips to reduce your usage and keep more money in your pocket at the same time! AND we aren’t asking you to completely get rid of your paper towels, just reduce the amount used.
Let’s dive in to see how we can help!
Paper Towel Usage
First step, acknowledge how many paper towels you use in one day, one week, or one month. Are you buying large packs of rolls of paper towels? How often? Also note how much you are spending when you purchase them.
Second step, review what you are using them for. Is it to use as a napkin? To cover food in the microwave? To wipe down the counter? To clean up something gross? Also note how many are used each time.
Some Thoughts
We need to reduce single-use.
Paper towels are made from trees and a lot of water is used to process it into a paper towel for us to use for just a minute. Even if they are made from recycled paper, it takes resources to create something new, that is disposed of quickly.
Where do you want your money to go?
The paper towel market in the United States is mainly controlled by a few large corporations.
The leading brands and their parent companies include:
- Bounty: Owned by Procter & Gamble.
- Scott: Owned by Kimberly-Clark.
- Brawny: Owned by Georgia-Pacific.
- Sparkle: Also owned by Georgia-Pacific.
Reusable Alternatives
Reusable “Not Paper Towels” are a great option to replace paper towel usage as a napkin and wiping down counters, drying hands, and anything else you would typically use a paper towel for. They are soft, cute, and reusable! Just toss them in the washing machine with the rest of your laundry.
Swedish Dishcloths are like a paper towel and a sponge had a baby. You can use these for anything you would typically use a paper towel or sponge for, they last 6-9 months, can be washed in the washing machine or top rack of the dishwasher, are super cute, and can replace 17 rolls of paper towels. Use them for washing dishes, wiping counters, and cleaning glass, just like you would paper towels. Bonus, they are home compostable at the end of their life since they are made from cellulose and wood pulp.
Old rags and repurposed fabrics can greatly reduce paper towel usage and give another life to an item that may not have had one planned. Use an old t-shirt or cotton flannel sheets, cut them up to the size you need, fold and keep in a basket near the sink. Demoting items to have another life is one of our favorite things to do!
Benefits of Switching to Reusables
Cost savings! Reusables (except for old rags and repurposed fabrics) have an initial investment but with long-term use actually save you month over time.
Environmental impact is reduced! If we can reduce the demand for single-use products it decreases the need to cut trees, ship them to a processing plant, use tons of water and other chemicals to get them white, and wrap them in plastic to then be shipped to a store where they can then be purchased.
Convenience! Less frequent shopping of disposable items. Imagine less trips to Costco or the grocery store.
Money isn’t being handed over to large corporations! Keep the money local with our locally sewn not paper towels. Keep the money in the hands of small businesses with our Swedish dishcloths. Keep all of your money repurposing old rags and fabrics you already own.
Practical Tips for Transitioning
Start small and chat with the others in your household about what you are doing. Even make a game of how many each person can save.
Put the roll of paper towels under the sink and put your reusables someplace accessible. This is what we do so you’re not reaching for the paper towels first.
Have a system. Where do the reusables go when they need to be washed? Make sure everyone in the household is aware of this.
Experiment with which product you like best and then invest in a few more of those. Maybe even let each person pick out their 1 Swedish dishcloth or not paper towel to use.
Set a goal of how many you would like to reduce and see how that goes.
If you do end up needing to purchase more paper towels, it’s ok! Try and buy the recycled unbleached ones and keep trying to reduce the usage.
We use approximately 1 roll of paper towels a year. The times we need them are when we clean up something our lovely cat ate that shouldn’t have, to pat the turkey dry at Thanksgiving, and the occasional bacon grease clean up. It took us TIME to transition. It may not happen overnight but if we all keep working toward using reusables, we can cut down that 13 billion pounds more and more each year!
Every time you choose to not use a paper towel, you are making a positive impact! Together, we can all make a huge collective difference!
