Environmental Question about Toilet Paper..?

Question

Warning: Kind of gross, but truly a legitimate question.

I know two people who are in a debate about flushing toilet paper down the drain after use. Does this have a very negative impact on the environment, or is it okay to do so, without any real significant impact?

Environmentally friendly toilet paper is used with no bleach made with recycled paper, but should toilet paper be thrown in the trash, or flushed down the drain, when you're living in an urban area with normal city water treatment plants?

Addenendums:

1. I AM someone concerned about the environment, so if you consider people environmental "nut jobs" please don't bother answering, and why are you in the "Green Living" category anyway?

2. They are already using non-bleach, fully recycled toilet paper by Seventh Generation, they are doing as much as they can on that front.

Answer 1

* TP is specifically manufactured to be biodegradable in the local treatment plant (POTW) or in your septic system.
There is very little left from aerobic digestion in the POTW.
The critters turn it and anything on it into new little critters and water in a matter of minutes.

The anaerobic septic system is much slower, taking days to do the job, and at that it's not so efficient. When you have your system emptied, it's mostly paper that is removed.

If you throw it out in the trash, it is slowly biodegraded in the dump, mostly anaerobically, but slower without all the water.

The water you use is returned to nature in a fairly clean form. It may carry some soluble nutrients that nourish roots or aquatic systems.

Answer 2

Good for you for asking such a sensitive question.

I'm still trying to find out how environmentally sound wastewater treatment plants are. My house has a septic tank, but the city has just voted to spend $30,000 per house, plus about $6000 from each resident to convert us to sewer.

I recently learned that as far as my septic tank is concerned (basically a miniature wastewater treatment plant, except without the use of chlorine and other chemicals) that reducing the flushing of toilet paper is better on the system.

So here's what I chose: if "it's clear," drop the trash in a lined waste basket. If it's "not clear," flush it.

Empty the waste basket frequently (daily, every couple days), especially before company comes.

I have not noticed ANY odor since switching to this procedure.

It isn't worth being fanatical about, but it does take more energy to process solid waste than liquid.

Essentially, bacteria "digest" the paper. Enough bacteria (magnified by air flow) can digest a lot of tissue.

Everything we do, and especially everything we throw away, has impact. I just read an article this morning about the negative effects on groundwater of embalming dead bodies. So even the North American cemetery system and burial policies might see some changes. Who'da thunk?

Answer 3

WOW...i like many of these answers...but I do agree with some of them....what would you do with it? unless someone comes up with a better concept on how to deal with used "tp" we have to flush it. Imagine all that toilet paper in public restrooms, some of them are dirty as it is....there is ignorant people that don't think of others. I mean if all you have to do is push a button for the water to go, you think they are going to be concerned enough about not flushing the used "tp" this would make some places dirtier because I'm sure they wont make sure it hits the waste basket and they sure not going to bend over and put it in there if it does not go in the waste basket...."Flushing "is the best bet....I do think they shouldn't make "tp" that is so thick I think this takes longer to dissolve and clogs the toilets more..that is my opinion.

Answer 4

well toilets in general are not environmentally friendly not about the toilet paper but thank about how much drinking watter we use every time we flush !!! i thank someone should come up with a better concept in general watched something on the discovery Chanel about that they made one that didn't use regular toilet paper or any water it just fell down a hole and went in to some kind of holding tank they used fans to keep the smell away and after you toke a dump you put sawdust in with it then they used it as fertilizer after so long


just thought id share that piece of useless info with you so yes I'd say it is

Answer 5

Toilet paper and tissue breaks down very quickly in water and dis-purses into smaller fibers making it easy to decompose. If used toilet tissue was to be disposed in land fill it would cause the build up of decomposition gasses and not only that think of the disease that would result .IE cholera campilorbacta virus, and also vermin carried diesase

Answer 6

Toilet paper is natural product. It is made from trees. When it is flushed, it degrades into celulose fibers which are filtered out in the process of cleaning at the sewer plant. It is then dried and used as fuel or fertlizer.

Answer 7

the resources used to make the toilet paper and the biproducts of bleaching etc, cause more damage to the environment than flushing said toilet paper. So maybe your friends should use leaves or their hands or something other than paper...

Answer 8

Flush it...there is far more risk of bacterial infections when putting it in trash to recycle. Not to mention the mess, odors and risk of pets or children getting into the trash

Answer 9

it is okay to flush it. would not want to see or smell it in the wastebasket would you.

Answer 10

disregard the environmental nutjobs. give me a break.