Life Pledge #2

My first Life Pledge posted several months ago, was to purchase only free range, organic chicken eggs.  Getting my own chickens last week has certainly made this lifetime commitment easier to uphold.

My second Life Pledge is to purchase only Toilet Paper made from recycled paper.  I've not yet committed to purchasing only recycled Paper Towels and Office Paper because I use those paper goods much less often but I do try to buy recycled whenever possible.  Using cloth to wipe up spills and clean with is even BETTER than using any manufactured paper product.  I reuse the backs of used office paper to print my online coupons.  Each year I use one pack of 500 sheets of paper, buying office paper when it goes on sale during the annual fall "back to school" sales.  It's not that common to find recycled paper discounted but when it is, that is the paper to buy.

This is not the first time I have blogged about buying recycled Toilet Paper.  It's so funny, when I mention it to people, the first thought is that somehow the paper you flush ends up being recycled into a new roll.  Yes, when you flush it goes right into a factory that spins it on a roll -- NOT.  Recycled tissue product is made from recovered office paper!  It goes through a heavy duty process and ends up looking just like that other stuff you buy that contains virgin chopped down trees.  Oh wow, I'm now rethinking my Office Paper purchase, if I would have purchase recycled Office Paper, then I would have made a double recycle.

The "eco-toilet brush" plant - ha ha

You may not realize it, but it is very possible that the toilet paper you are buying actually contains some recycled content.  Because of the ridiculous stigma that people have manufactured in their brains, some companies don't want to advertise the fact that their "rear end wipes" are made from recycled paper.    

Toilet Paper has been around since 1913, don't you think it's time to save a tree and purchase a recycled product?  The Natural Resources Defense Council has published an excellent guide to get you motivated to make the switch.

-Rebecca