If you’re concerned about deforestation and environmental sustainability, the phrase “growing your own toilet paper” might soon become more than just an eco-friendly idea. It could be a solution to the climate crisis. Annually, one million trees worldwide are harvested to produce paper for toilet rolls, which contributes to biodiversity loss. However, is it practical, or even feasible, to make a greener substitute? Let’s consider if this peculiar approach will be the standard.
The Case for Growing Your Toilet Paper
Benjamin Mutembei, a resident of Meru, Kenya, has been growing his own toilet paper—the Plectranthus barbatus plant—since 1985. Locally known as “African tissue”, this innocuous, aromatic herb is cheap and environmentally friendly. For Mutembei and others, this is the solution that bypasses the need for commercially bought rolls, especially when prices of toilet paper go up because of the high cost of raw materials in Africa.
In contrast to toilet paper of the variety based on virgin wood pulp, cultivation of toilet paper at home does not involve deforestation. With the pulp and paper industry using 35% of available trees, the ecological impact of taking plant species like Plectranthus barbatus into account may be critical. This plant is adapted to tropical environments, it is a fast grower and has potential uses in modern toilet units or composting systems providing an eco-friendly solution for people looking to reduce their environmental impact.
Challenges of Growing Your Own Toilet Paper
However, raising your own toilet paper is not without its problems. In some regions, such as South Africa, Plectranthus barbatus is considered invasive and banned. In addition, wastewater infrastructure in much of the world is not prepared to handle the use of plant-based toilet paper. Where the residential area of the urban population is comprised of gardeners with small courtyards, it may be impossible to grow a variety of plants.
Despite these obstacles, environmental activist Robin Greenfield has been championing this practice in Florida, where he runs a “grow your own toilet paper” initiative. Greenfield recommends plant cuttings and distributes them as an alternative. He believes that, with public information campaigns and composting stations, this activity could be more widely acceptable.
Environmental Impact: Is It Worth It?
There’s no doubt that there must be some ecological pluses to growing your own toilet paper. Traditional toilet paper production itself endangers forests, and toxic, chlorinated compounds are also released by bleaching. On the other hand, replacement with plant-based substitutes, e.g., Plectranthus barbatus, can reduce human exposure to potentially toxic compounds and also benefit soil health through composting.
However, scaling this method for mass adoption requires innovation. Companies, like WEPA, are experimenting with recycled materials in a bid to reduce the ecological impact of conventional toilet paper. Obviously, this manner may not completely stop deforestation, but it actively offers another option that people, the people who don’t want to walk ten steps further to grow toilet paper, can actually accept and use.
Should You Grow Your Own Toilet Paper?
The last decision, however, is context-dependent and relates to sustainability. For rural areas in Africa, where Plectranthus barbatus grows naturally, growing your own toilet paper is already a reality. This may be even an extra step for residents of the urban or temperate area but definitely does not mean living in a context less sustainable.
As society becomes increasingly aware of the environmental cost of everyday products, alternatives like growing your own toilet paper deserve consideration. Using composting systems or plant cultivation systems in an artificial environment, this method has the following ability to address environmental problems and decrease production costs.
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