A column about the small and simple changes we can make to reduce our carbon footprint and save some money too.

There’s been a spill – quickly we reach for the kitchen roll to mop it up. It’s useful and convenient but the cumulative negative effect on the environment is surprisingly big…

Why it’s a problem

Kitchen roll is made from wood pulp, which leads to deforestation, fewer trees to absorb carbon dioxide and therefore the earth heating up. The wood is chopped into small pieces and then chemicals are added to process it into pulp. Any paper towel which has been bleached to be pure white cannot be composted and so goes into landfill waste. Worldwide, paper towels produce a massive 254 million tons of waste annually!

There are two ways of trying to reduce this:

1) Only buy 100% recycled kitchen rolls or buy rolls which have been made from bamboo and sugar cane. Check on the label that there are no dyes, fragrances or chemicals (especially chlorine) so that you can compost them. The letters ‘PCF’ or ‘TCF’ will indicate they are chlorine free. Fuel, water and electricity will still be used to produce these though.

2) Use alternatives to paper to mop up your spills. Microfibre cloths are very absorbent but still have to be manufactured and may cost more. Even better, use old towels which have been cut down to size, or cut up old cotton shirts. Make sure they are easily available and there are plenty of them so that the family don’t find it an extra hassle. They can even hang on a hook and look decorative! Squares cut from attractive materials, (which can be bought cheaply in a charity shop) can serve as napkins instead of paper napkins. They can all go into the washing machine with the usual laundry.

Toilet paper needs a different approach. It obviously can’t be recycled, but you can buy loo roll made from 100% recycled paper. Toilet paper made from bamboo is much more environmentally friendly but there is still the fact that nearly all bamboo comes from China and so involves many air miles.

There are a growing number of brands making roll from more eco-sensitive materials, such as whogivesacrap, Naked sprout and Ecoleaf. Buying in bulk will work out much cheaper.

Back in the kitchen, if you make one small change this week, try to make it paperless.

To find out more about Otley 2030, go to www.otley2030.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram: @otley2030

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