Tissue

8 March Tissue paper Tissue paper has become one of the most fundamental needs of people in the contemporary age. It is a thing of everyday use. Owing to its immense usability, it is nearly impossible to eradicate its use. Producing tissue papers from trees has many negative impacts upon the environment. These effects can be minimized first by altering the source of raw material for making the tissue paper, and secondly by regulating its consumption. This paper discusses that sugar cane is a potential source from which tissue papers can be made. Since, most of the tissue paper use is at home, then, it is possible to regulate the amount of tissue paper that we consume
Tree made tissue papers are a threat to the environment. “ Worldwide, the equivalent of almost 270, 000 trees is either flushed or dumped in landfills every day and roughly 10 percent of that total is attributable to toilet paper” (Braun). With the increasing pressure upon companies to adopt environment friendly ways to generate their services, there is a growing trend among the vendors to produce tree-free tissue papers. One such company is Emerald Brand that intends making tissue papers from Bagasse, which is the residue obtained from the sugar cane after its juice has been extracted. “ Its made of 100% recycled sugar cane bagasse which produces paper and tableware products” (“ Tree-Free Toilet Paper”). Use of Bagasse in the making of tissue papers is beneficial in several ways. Firstly, it is a replacement of trees. This means that trees do not have to be wiped of to make tissue papers as there is an alternative solution which is environment friendlier. Use of Bagasse in manufacturing tissue papers not only puts an agricultural waste material to use, but also prevents the hazardous gases that are conventionally released in the atmosphere in the usual procedure to dispose off Bagasse. Making tissue paper from Bagasse also consumes fewer chemicals and lesser energy as compared to making tissue papers from trees. “ Our goal is to make going green an easy choice for businesses The Emerald Brand allows companies to make the responsible decision without sacrificing room in their budget. It’s a win-win for businesses and the environment” (Bianculli cited in Petru). On individual level, people assume the responsibility to minimize the use of tissue papers to reduce pollution. We normally consume more tissue paper than what we really need in the household activities. Another benefit of using tissue papers made from sugarcane is that they are more durable than the ones retrieved from trees and can thus be recycled for further use and minimization of environmental pollution.
However, most of us have not been using these brands opting to use the non-recycled ones like Kleenex and Scott. This has led to many negative impacts on the environment and subsequent effects on our daily lives. It is sufficiently convincing to adopt the policy of minimizing consumption and using 100% recycled tissue papers for the benefit of the environment and our lives. In conclusion, I observe that though a tissue paper is necessary in maintaining personal hygiene, it is equally detrimental to the environment if not retrieved from the right source and not disposed off and recycled in the proper manner. The consumption of tissue papers in our homes is way beyond normal requirement and therefore needs adjustments. Reasonable use and purchase of 100% recycled tissue paper is convenient for us and friendly to the environment.
Works Cited:
Braun, David. “ Toilet paper wipes out 27, 000 trees a day.” National Geographic. 16 Apr.
2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. .
Petru, Alexis. “ Napkins and Tissues Made From Sugar Cane, Not Trees.” 2011. Web. 8
Mar. 2012. .
“ Tree-Free Toilet Paper Made from Sugarcane.” Apartment Therapy. 2012. Web. 8 Mar.
2012. .