apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It's not the ick factor, its the cost!

I have no problem with recycled toilet paper, like ktoth04 it is the cost. Also I guess the comfort. Every recycled toilet paper product I have tried is like sandpaper.

There is the cost, and that it's hard to find for me, and the fact that Seventh Generation gives you such a wimpy amount for it. C'mon, we're also supposed to reduce packaging here; how is wrapping such a dinky amount of TP in plastic earth-friendly?

Yes, I realize it would cost even more if they beefed up their rolls, but there's a point to which it defeats the purpose (and I get sick of changing out the rolls.)

People have a problem with recycled toilet paper? It's not like it's used toilet paper ...

Marcal makes recycled toilet paper. It comes in big packages, and it's soft! I can't remember how much it costs, but it's definitely closer to regular TP than to Seventh Generation. It's not marketed as "recycled toilet paper," but there's a small graphic on the package that indicates it's recycled. This is definitely one place where you don't have to buy a special "green" brand to get a green product.

Really folks, is buying recycled TP going to break the bank? Is saving a few dimes really worth the number of trees, and bleach, and resources that go into making your soft white and cheap TP???

I wrote a blog post about this a while back:

http://www.greenme.vg/2008/04/28/being-green-can-mean-dirty-business/

Usually, I don't like to get "high and haughty" about green issues, but after spending time in developing countries where people wipe with leaves and old pieces of paper, or cloth, seriously a little recycled TP is no big deal. However there are a few brands that are softer and more economical -- ask your friends, read my blog post, or just try out a few. Sometimes I am impresesd with the fluffy whiteness at other people's houses, but I've used recycled TP for so long in my home (since college, at least 10 years) that I don't notice or care that is not soft enough for a baby to sleep on!

I hate to break it to you, Re-nest, but paper companies are not wading through the sewers in an effort to reclaim TP. Recycled TP is made from other sources of paper. Stop making people's perception of recycled goods worse by purporting misinformation.

"eww"? Who did you ask?

In my experience, recycled toilet paper is not only much more expensive, but also of much worse quality than it's regular counterpart.

I really don't understand what all the fuss is about. Recycled toilet paper was pretty much the first transition I made, way back when I was a poor college student. Yeah, it's a little bit more expensive, but seriously, not even close to making a big difference in my grocery bill. If you're spending more for organic foods, green cleaning solutions, etc., I think you can probably afford to spend less than a dollar more for some toilet paper.

I've used Seventh Generation toilet paper for years. Sure, it's no extra-fluffy, your baby will sleep on it TP (such as Charmin). But it's about the same as, say, Quilted Northern. It's not the scratchy stuff you'll find at most office buildings in their bathrooms. I've always been happy.

It seems a little silly to me that people on a site dedicated to buying green things would make such a fuss about such a tiny little thing.