Toilet paper, Really?

Some of you might remember back at the height of the pandemic when it was really hard to find toilet paper because everyone was hoarding it. I saw an article about a fellow who managed to buy 5,000 rolls and tried to resell them on eBay, eBay wouldn't let him because they figured he was taking advantage of people. I guess he now has a life time supply of toilet paper.
It's interesting how whatever everyone's doing around you you just accept as a requirement.
So all these folks hoarding toilet paper couldn't figure out an alternative method of, well you know.
Most American bathrooms have a sink right next to the toilet, and probably washcloths nearby (not talking about public restrooms).
If the thought of washing up after doing your morning "chore" seems weird or unreasonable, consider the following:

70% of the world's population doesn't use toilet paper. Most of these people wash up afterwards.

27,000 trees are cut down each day to supply toilet paper for America.

That means that Americans use 7 billion rolls per year amounting to 141 rolls per person.

Toilet paper production uses 1.7 trillion gallons of water, 253,000 tons of bleach, and 15 million trees annually.

The trees used for toilet paper constitute 15% of the total deforestation of the world each year..
That's one out of every seven trees cut down goes to toilet paper.

I was thinking of posting this under the "Just use less" topic on the homestead forum, but figured it just might be a little too controversial.
However if subjects like this don't get front page at some point in time, we might just be flushing away our future .

Side note - When most people suddenly had to work/school/etc from home, it meant they were pooping at home more.  Maybe double?  So suddenly the demand doubled for toilet paper.  There was probably an over abundance of the big rolls used in commercial applications.

Of course scarcity leads to some hoarding but I suspect much of the issue came from a change in the actual demand.

Mike,
You are correct that there was a significant increase in demand due to people working from home.
However according to the North Carolina State University, College of Natural Resources:

" The sudden increase in demand (of toilet paper) -
Largely fueled by panic buying and hoarding-  has quickly depleted stocks."

The real point is,  that if people would just think outside the box, the solutions to many problems are obvious, albeit not conventional.

Moving forward there is an alternative to cutting down 15% of the world's forests for a  mostly unnecessary item.

It’s a discussion I have had on Facebook too LOL. I think that you go for the bidet solution instead. At least that’s what I want to do, but that said, it’s not for everyone.
I tried convincing my family (husband and kids) to get one, but it was voted down with 2 for and 3 against.
Because of this, I started doing some research and fell over and article about plants you can grow for the purpose of using their leaves instead of toilet paper. The article (which I of cause can’t find now), claimed that the leaves are soft, large and works perfectly to clean your tush. I did find a store though, who sells toilet paper plants.

https://littlerivercooperative.com/products/toilet-paper-plant-aka-blue-spur-flower

I can just imagine my husbands face, when I tell him we are going to grow our own toilet “paper”. I don’t think it would be popular at least in my spoiled household, but what do you think? Would you grow a plant, for the single reason of using its leaves instead of toilet paper?

  Saw these in europe 30 years ago thought they made lots of sense. But Very expensive new toilet required.  Actualy recently saw a bidet add on  in a restaurant bathroom in the USA.  Looked it up, very inexpensive.  

$37 no power needed.
https://www.amazon.com/Luxe-Bidet-Neo-120-Non-Electric/dp/B00A0RHSJO/

Why not do both?  The reduction in TP cost will pay for in a year or so.  If TP use stops, then you know the 3 no votes are using it.  :)

Tom

Thomas Michael wrote:   Saw these in europe 30 years ago thought they made lots of sense. But Very expensive new toilet required.  Actualy recently saw a bidet add on  in a restaurant bathroom in the USA.  Looked it up, very inexpensive.  

$37 no power needed.
https://www.amazon.com/Luxe-Bidet-Neo-120-Non-Electric/dp/B00A0RHSJO/

Why not do both?  The reduction in TP cost will pay for in a year or so.  If TP use stops, then you know the 3 no votes are using it.  :)

Tom

Thank you. This really made me smile, and I might just do it one day. There are many bidets that’s on the cheaper side, so definitely a possibility, but 😉 my husband has cut me off for buying any more plants right now, after I found a plant clearance website and bought 4 very large ones for our orchard.
By maybe, I can sneak in some seeds LOL.
I am with plants, the way a fashionista is with shoes. I want them all 😂😂 . Why wear shoes when you can plant trees.

  Cut off from buying plants!  Oh no  :(

This may feed a seed addiction, many of us are so afflicted.  (It is spring must garden, MUST)

Free seeds and seed talk

Cool Beans!
Seed Library Newsletter.
Current Issue:
Issue #29 - February 2023 One Million Seed Savers!
https://conta.cc/3mdUJZj
http://seedlibraries.weebly.com/

Joseph lofthouse's
Land race gardening classes and free seeds
https://goingtoseed.org/

Thomas Michael wrote:   Cut off from buying plants!  Oh no  :(

This may feed a seed addiction, many of us are so afflicted.  (It is spring must garden, MUST)

Free seeds and seed talk

Cool Beans!
Seed Library Newsletter.
Current Issue:
Issue #29 - February 2023 One Million Seed Savers!
https://conta.cc/3mdUJZj
http://seedlibraries.weebly.com/

Joseph lofthouse's
Land race gardening classes and free seeds
https://goingtoseed.org/

We actually have something similar in my local buy nothing group. Each year we have a bin going around from family to family. You take what seeds you need from the box, and if you have some seeds to share, you add them to the box.
We also share starter plants and seedlings. I ended up making way too many sweet potato slips, so now other families gets to grow sweet potatoes too. It’s actually kind of funny. This is the first year I am growing my own slips, so I started 8 sweet potatoes thinking that at least one would turn out okay. They all spouted, so I am going to end up with about 200 slips, if not more. I don’t mind, since I then can share the bounty.
As for my husband LOL, the cut off, has more to do with all the holes he and my son has to dig. The digger we have, are too heavy for me to handle. The trees I bought came in 15 gallon pots, so they need large holes. It’s also probably because I have doubled my growing space this year, with more raised beds and containers.
Thanks for the links. I am checking them out and will look and see if we have something like this here,

What trees come in 15 Gal pots ?

Trees from a plant nursery, at least in the US, can come in beefy black pots.

Mike Haasl wrote:Trees from a plant nursery, at least in the US, can come in beefy black pots.

I scored a stack of # 25 pots and they're handy for a bunch of things, including growing plants.

So now you've got me wondering: how I could grow toilet paper right by an outdoor humanure toilet, need a bigger window in the outhouse... might need supplemental light in the winter...

I was beginning to wonder how a post about toilet paper wandered off to pots and seeds.🤔
Thank you Jay for completing the circle and bringing it back to toilet paper and outhouses!
Rich

So Mullein is recommended as a toilet paper plant. I've got access to seeds, but how large a pot would it actually need if I wanted to grow it inside a outhouse of some type? Would it be happy? I think it's really big and I don't know if it has a tap root?

Rich Rayburn wrote:I was beginning to wonder how a post about toilet paper wandered off to pots and seeds.
Thank you Jay for completing the circle and bringing it back to toilet paper and outhouses!

Yep - permies is well known for going off on tangents and equally well known for going in circles! Think of it as a life form which develops and changes and can be redirected as needed!  But if the subject of pots hadn't been raised, I don't think I would have contemplated the idea of including Mullein or alternative as a feature. Just think, it could be watered with hand-washing water - more stacking functions!

Circles and tangents, well that does sounds like thinking outside the box to me! 👍