What is recycled toilet paper?
When it comes to eco-friendly switches, recycled toilet paper is a classic - gracing the shelves of supermarkets and the loos of environmentally friendly households for decades.
But what exactly is recycled toilet paper made of, and is it the eco-friendly, health-friendly choice you’re looking for? As makers of the UK’s first unbleached recycled toilet rolls we have plenty to say on the matter. Let's roll!
Is recycled toilet paper made from used toilet paper?
As recycled toilet paper manufacturers, we’ll get this one out of the way first. We’ve all heard the jokes about “second-hand toilet paper”. We’re happy to confirm they’re just jokes!
Used toilet paper doesn’t get a second life as new toilet paper. In countries where toilet paper is disposed of in bins, it’s typically incinerated. In places where it’s flushed, it heads into the sewer system where it breaks down into a substance known as “sludge” (more on that later).
So you can rest easy in the knowledge that there aren’t any tissue makers out there secretly turning your used bathroom tissue into recycled rolls.
But what do we use to make them?
How is recycled toilet paper made?
Recycled toilet paper is made from paper products that have already been used for their original purpose. Normally it’s a mixture of different kinds of paper junk - think leaflets, junk mail, paper and cardboard packaging and particularly office printer paper.
These materials are gathered together, sorted to remove any glue, plastic bits, or staples. Once sorted, the paper and card is pulped and mixed with a small quantity of fresh pulp to give it extra strength - most manufacturers use wood for this but since we already make bamboo toilet paper we use bamboo.
From the pulping stage it’s business as normal. Like standard toilet paper, recycled toilet paper is pressed into sheets, dried on giant rollers, and cut into the small rolls we all rely on.
Making toilet paper this way is generally thought of as an improvement over using 100% virgin materials because you’re using a category of waste that already exists. The resources of our planet are stretched as it is, making use of something that already exists, particularly for a product like toilet paper, is often better than making something new.
Is recycled toilet paper good for you?
When it comes to materials, recycled toilet paper often gets a green stamp of approval, but when it comes to your health, there’s more to the story.
Some recycled toilet paper contains residues from till receipts, which are made with thermal paper containing BPA (Bisphenol A). BPA has been linked to various health concerns, so it’s definitely something to avoid in products you use daily, but unfortunately it’s been detected in many everyday paper products, including recycled toilet paper.
Naked Sprout has been in business since 2020, and we knew about the risks from BPA in recycled toilet paper going in. That’s a big reason why we chose to make our first toilet paper rolls out of bamboo instead of recycled materials.
But since then we’ve found a better source for recycled paper - cardboard and kraft paper. These materials are minimally processed to begin with and don’t contain BPA. We’ve even had our toilet paper independently tested to make sure there’s no BPA, and no PFAS either. And since we don’t add any harsh chemicals or bleach during production. We end up with an eco-friendly toilet paper that’s gentle on both you and the environment.
Can you flush recycled toilet paper?
You can indeed. In fact, recycled toilet tissue can make the most dissolvable toilet paper of them all. Because it’s made from materials that have already been processed, it often breaks down faster, making it a solid choice for sensitive plumbing and older drainage systems.
At Naked Sprout, we test every roll of our soft toilet roll to meet strict standards for both wet strength and disintegration. Once flushed, it enters the sewer system and eventually breaks down further into what water companies call “sludge”. Not the most glamorous term, but it can be used to generate energy!
What is better for the environment: bamboo or recycled paper?
This question calls for big-picture thinking. The overall impact that a particular product has on air, soil, water, and life will depend on many different factors. But we’re talking raw materials today, so let’s look at the impact of actually collecting them and getting them to the factory.
Bamboo toilet paper is a fast-growing, renewable resource, but bamboo doesn’t grow in commercial quantities in Europe, so most of it will be imported from China. For this reason, bamboo toilet paper that has been manufactured in China has higher emissions from transport than most standard toilet paper in the UK.
At Naked Sprout we manufacture our toilet paper in Europe, so the bamboo we use is shipped from China in compact pulp bales. These take up much less space than shipping finished rolls, but transport emissions are still worth bearing in mind.
Recycled toilet paper, on the other hand, reuses existing materials that are available in large quantities just about anywhere in the world. This reduces waste and should cut down on transport emissions - but you’d be surprised.
When we launched our recycled toilet paper, it actually had a slightly higher CO2e footprint from transport than our bamboo rolls. This is because the cardboard and kraft paper we used was gathered from lots of scattered locations and delivered by diesel trucks to our factory, unlike the single boat-trip that our bamboo took from China.
However, we’ve since optimised the way we collect and process recycled materials, setting up agreements with big supermarkets in the area around our factory so we can collect more recycled material at a time. This is reflected in our new Life Cycle Assessment which we'll be publishing soon!
But all transport emissions are just part of the picture. Both of our products are made without using fossil fuels at the drying stage (the biggest chunk of emissions in paper manufacturing) and with no bleach, no harsh chemicals, and no extra packaging, all of which reduce the impact on the environment.
Conclusion
Switching to recycled toilet paper isn’t going to save the planet. But small, sustainable choices add up.
At Naked Sprout, we’re committed to making the best value toilet rolls that are kind to the planet without skimping on quality. From our minimally processed raw materials to our innovative manufacturing practices, we’re doing everything we can to bring down the environmental footprint of the humble toilet roll.
Our recycled toilet rolls come with low emissions, and they’re soft, strong, and great value as well. Want to try them out?
