It has been three weeks since my first cut down of paper towels. I start noticed the change in the volume of the trash which really surprised me. So for the last week, my trash decreased by about half the amount because I used only one role of kitchen paper for 10 days. Furthermore, my Mom completely stopped using kitchen paper towels for drying. She starts using reusable towels which can absorb more water and remain for much longer. On the other hand, as I spend most of the week here at Purdue in one of the dorms; I start using one sheet of paper towel in order to dry the fried chicken or French fries instead of three sheets. Also, I don’t use paper towel to wipe my stove or cabinet. I use mostly sponge which is not reusable but I can use for 7-10 days and then throw it away. I am not sure about the carbon foot print of sponge but I will look up and determine which one has less impact on environment whether the reusable paper towel or sponge. While I am using the rest room on campus, I try to use shake my hand very well after washing them so I can use only one sheet. Also, I am thinking about buying a small reusable towel that I can put in my pack bag and use it while I am on campus. I will start doing this from next week and I will give an update about that on my next blog.
I presented the idea of buying hand dryer and installing it in my kitchen. Unfortunately, I live in one of the campus’s dorms so I find that it is against the policy to have a hand dryer in my room. But I asked the RA if she could just give my feedback to the one who is responsible for remodeling the room after this year. She is going to pass the idea and I will give an update in my next blog. Moreover, this project fits into the broader context of the course, because in POL 327 we have been discussing the consequences of water drought on us and what is the good ways to cut down our consumption of water. So by cutting down paper towels, it helps in decreasing the amount of water that I use it because a lot of studies prove that recycling and manufacturing paper towel use a huge amount of water.
Many countries decide to cut down their usage of paper towel in order to decrease their water and carbon foot print. In my last blog, I discussed how some European countries start advising people on decreasing their consumption of paper towel. In this blog, I want to focus on Japan because they have a very successful attempt with reducing the paper towel consumption. The government requires the residents to have a cotton paper towel on their purse instead of using rough paper towels in the restrooms. Also, there are no trash cans in the street which require the residents who still using paper towels to dispose them on their home and pay for their trash. Finally, most of the public restrooms don’t provide either hand dryers or paper towels.
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