Comments on: Update on Change the World Wednesday challenge - giving up disposable paper kitchen towel

By: Mrs Green

Mrs Green — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:03:53 +0000

@Layla: Hi Layla, well I DID but that is past tense - I don’t know how I let it slip back in really; just sheer laziness and convenience kicking in.

I must get back on track.

By: Layla

Layla — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:28:59 +0000

WOW!! You managed to give up the paper towel!!

So awesome, and I totally commend you!! (= read: bow in admiration!!)

I haven’t managed to crack Mum and Sis and the others in the house on this one yet!
I use cloth hankies, but Dad asked for a paper towel the other day instead!! aagh!

Maybe if there were pretty clothies like these in the kitchen, hmm??
(We don’t have a cat, can be just too lazy to get the floor cloth from the bathroom, and it’s usually wetter/dirtier(?) than the spilt water on floor or such..)

I learnt to peel potatoes or put lettuce refuse etc into a bowl, and then empty it into the compost little bin (which usually smells bad, so I prefer to not use it directly) or take outside directly (for a nice stroll in the sun and a bit of exercise!).
The others used newspaper on table before, I’m not too happy with potentially iffy newspaper chemicals on the compost though.
It may be better ergonomically to have the bowl on one’s knees if you’re sitting by the table (especially if mushrooms &/or long hours are involved!).

Neil, we don’t have public washerettes where we live, and laundry needs to be done anyway, so I’m guessing the napkins wouldn’t take so much more.. Probably better to be washed with ‘more of the like’ together.. (We’ve had separate loads for ‘doggie cloths’ or eh toilet carpets or such before, so Mrs G’s special towel might be in that category.. Though for pet ‘accidents’ a paper towel might truly be best.. For minor spills of juice or such, a cloth towel can simply be washed with other kitchen towels etc.)

By: Mrs Green

Mrs Green — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:50:01 +0000

@Neil: Hi Neil, Ahhh, I can understand how you need to use something disposable if you don’t have a washing machine - I would too!
I would say the energy of washing a couple of cloths is definitely better for the environment than buying paper kitchen towel. I would be doing a load anyway, so to throw a couple more cloths in uses no more resources.

Great point about composting; that’s what we do most of the time, but it’s good to be reminded.

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:24:06 +0000

True about the overuse of paper towels, but we are not going to give them up completely.

When the cat has cacked up on the stairs, the paper towel is the ideal and hygienic way of disposal. As we have no washing machine(we worked out more eco and cheaper to go to the washeteria), washing out old cloth with cack in it is not pleasant.

What about the energy of your washing machine, does it balance out with a couple of sheets of paper towel.

Using them wisely is the best option, and remember to recycle them in the compost. Lock up that carbon in the paper where it belongs, in the soil!