Which toilet paper *should* you buy?

Hi @SueW . I used Who Gives a Crap for about 2 years during Covid because of the convenience of having 24 rolls delivered at once. I have tried both " 100% Recycled " which tends to “flake” during use (not great) and the "100% Bamboo " which is stronger but gets a very poor rating by Choice. I have requested a test for the “100% Recycled” as I am concerned about the poor dispersal score for the " 100% Bamboo "product. I would say that the convenience and ethics is not matched by the quality, which for me is “low”.

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It’s a challenge that the prior discussion and links to Choice reviews highlight. No single product is perfect and all have an environmental cost. The degree of impact varies between choices.

Is there a better answer?
There is also the option to reduce personal use of TP of any type/material source. EG use bidets or washlet style toilets. If of further interest a related discussion is accessible to the community,

P.S.
Several sources suggest Who Gives a Crap TP is produced in China.

It’s a difficult question to answer how significant the carbon miles might be for any imported product. For this TP, the carbon captured in the product at its source in China is effectively exported to Australia. It’s a further consideration in which product may be a preferred choice.

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TP for RV use.
I’ve been using WGAC toilet paper for several years now, as I like their ethics. Originally the basic tp but switched to the bamboo some time ago. It’s what I take when I’m away in my RV with a dometic portable loo. I use nappy san type treatment and find that a day or two of travel over all sorts of roads turns the toilet contents to a slurry which means it’s no trouble to empty into dump points.
So Choice’s assessment of poor disintegration doesn’t ring true in my situation.

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The Choice test expects TP to disintegrate in minutes of agitation, not days.

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Rapid disintegration is important for household sewerage pipes, especially the older ones under my back yard.

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Hi @Marg999, welcome to the community.

A ‘nappy san’ type product added to solution containing toilet paper, along with constant agitation, will most likely break down the bonds between the fibres more quickly than in water or within a sewerage/septic system. While you may have found it effective for a portable loo, placing enough ‘nappy san’ type product to have a similar affect in a septic system to have the same effect (assuming some agitation is possible) will substantially affect the chemistry/microbiology of a septic tank leading to problems.

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That is, it will kill your tank.

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Choice typically assesses products against the everyday needs of the majority of consumers. It’s a useful observation for those with similar RV needs, although likely true of any other branded TP that it will always break down with the assistance of chemical treatment and agitation.

Our current preference is for Australian produced Quilton long rolls. As we have septic it’s also important the products flushed are safe to use. WGAC product made in China has accrued some environmental credentials. Just how much better overall the product is for the environment compared to local production is difficult to answer. Most online sources make comparisons to global production with a focus on production in North America, China and Europe. IE forest harvesting (virgin and managed) in those regions.

There is a high carbon footprint in producing TP whether from virgin forest, recycled paper or bamboo forestry. Although at a human scale one estimate suggests as individuals our personal use of TP adds only a few tens of kg’s of CO2e to the environment every year. In addition our waste treatment plants are also high net emitters of Green House Gases.

It’s a small luxury enjoyed by only 1 in 4 of us, while consuming around 10% of world paper production.
Toilet Paper Fun Facts

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Agreed @mark_m . Bidets are the way to go. I tried them in Japan - fantastic. But they are not cheap here. The up front cost is far higher than a few rolls of TP. Perhaps we could have a Government subsidy like we had for Solar Power?

More than ‘requesting a test’ the discussion covers options to suit most needs and budgets.

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