Tissues or Hankies ?

Question

which is more eco friendly?

Answer 1

Guess it is hankies.
I use them a lot.

Answer 2

Hi,

Mostly I think hankies are the best to be eco friendly but there are some things to remember.

Tissues can substitute for toilet paper if every you go to a cubicle and there is none left.

Tissues can be used to cleanse down areas you need to work or eat at and be disposed of.

Tissues are not all necessarily bad for the environment. It should be able to break down to become part of the soil.

But having said that, I still like a fresh newly laundered hanky. But for those times when a tissue serves the purpose best, I carry a small pack of tissues in my purse to be sure I have all kinds of things covered, including helping out some poor soul who needs to blow their nose but has either lost their hanky or come out without one due to forgetfulness.

Hope this helps you decide.

Cheers

Lisa

Answer 3

Hankies

Answer 4

Yes, I agree - there will always be 'bigger fish to fry' (Global Warming, overpopulation etc.), BUT:
- I, as an individual, cannot directly help to 'cool the planet'. But I can change plenty of my habits that, over time, contributed the the problem (Global Warming).
Reducing the use of paper tissue is one of those.
- If we want to tackle the 'bigger' issues, we have to start with the way we think.
The very fact that people in this forum are talking about hankie vs paper is a encouraging sign for me that there is a growing awereness about resources, sustainability, waste etc.
- do not underestimate the accumulation of an (apparently) minor behavior to 'big numbers'.
You, I, are not the only ones using a paper tissue to blow our nose . Multiply that by millions of people here in the US, millions and millions worldwide. Every single day. 365 days a year. All over sudden not such a small number anymore.
- Trying to live greener to me also means to look at the entire life cycle of a product:
Where do resources come from?
The amount of energy necessary to produce that product.
Amount of packaging for transportation.
Use of engergy for transportation!!!
Emissions because of transportation!!!
Use of energy etc. for recycling that product/OR
CO2 emissions, leaking of chemicals into landfill when not recycled.

Sorry, just realized I may have gone overboard a little with my attempt of an answer.
So, for me - hankie or paper?
Hankie!! For all the reasons above, and besides - every one of us has to wash dirty clothes, right? So, I believe no one would start a single load just for her/his hankies :)
Also to be considered: One can always re-use old clothes for hankies. Just cut them up into little pieces, and there you go!!

Re-duce. Re-use. Recycle.

Answer 5

This kind of depends on what you are using them for.

Are you sick, with the flu, or a cold? That is highly contageous, and it is more envorinmentally friendly, in the long run, to use disposable tissues. You will spread fewer germs, and infect fewer other people, who in turn will NOT be using tissues, medication, or loosing work time/productivity.

Allergies, or just a drippy, non contageous nose, or children with sticky face and hand? Hankie is more environmentally friendly, as long as you are washing it in a full load of laundry.

~Garnet
Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 6

I think this is why I adopt and abandon "green" ways ----- tissues are made from trees - renewal resource -- but for some reason people have forgetten we can replant trees. Hankies required laundery which means detergent and how your community deals with water waste.....on and on......oh, and were bad chemicals used to grow the cotton to make hankies, and of course plastic in synthetic fabric blends......

it's more than I cope with - politically correct green trends vs. long lasting changes

Answer 7

OK, this is going too far. When we get so self absorbed that hankies become the focus of our intent to do something to protect the planet, I feel like certainly we are in the end of days.
If you want to protect the planet, are there other bigger things we can be thinking about?
What about mass extinction?
What about nuclear WMDs?
What about nuclear pollution?
What about conserving electricity and fuel oil?
What about over population and 9 billion people by 2050?

Answer 8

Both have their problems. Tissues are obviously contributing to landfill accumulation (though i imagine plastic bags are worse), so therefore are more physical waste. Hankies on the other hand require you to launder them, which uses fresh water and soap (which can pose problems when introduced into a natural ecosystem.) This then is poured into our streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Maybe we should all just farmer snot, and wipe it on our sleeves. ; ) After all, we have to wash our clothes anyway.

"The E'Ville Librarian"

Answer 9

Hankies. And in the same vein, cloth napkins are better than paper. You can buy them at yard sales, or make your own. Make your own cleaning rags, too. Old T-shirts make great rags for dusting, polishing, and cleaning windows. Much better than paper towels.

Answer 10

hankies.

tissues produce more waste as opposed to hankies that just need washed---reusable products are almost always more "green" than consumable products.

i do this with my son. i always have burp cloths around and now they are more of a blankie to him...a source of comfort, but they are also handy if he has a snotty nose or milk dribbles out of his mouth!!!

take care:)

Answer 11

a hankie, because you just keep recycling it.....if you can stand walking around with a pocket full of nose boogers