Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
consumers demand a soft and comfortable conclusion to their toilet
experience. Georgia-Pacifi c made more than $144 million in 2008 selling
more than 24 million packs of its “Quilted Northern Ultra Plush” three-
ply toilet paper. Furthermore the United States uses more toilet paper
than any other country in the world: an average of 23.6 rolls per person
per year, which is thirteen times as much as Asians and fi fty-seven times
as much as Africans.
Nevertheless, increased roughness of toilet paper for American con-
sumers appears to be on the horizon. In August 2009, Kimberly-Clark,
the maker of popular brands like Kleenex, announced that within two
years, 40 percent of the fi ber used by its North American division
would be from either recycled sources or stock certifi ed by the Forest
Stewardship Council, an industry group promoting responsible forest
management.
Grocery Bags
In the past few years, a furious controversy has emerged about the rela-
tive greenness of the 100 billion plastic and 10 billion paper bags used
in the United States each year, with the debate centering on the bags
dispensed at the checkout counters in supermarkets, although many
other types of stores use them as well. Many communities in the United
States have tried to pass laws banning or taxing plastic bags, but only a
few cities and small towns have totally banned plastic bags.
Plastic bags fi rst appeared in the late 1970s and were touted as
saviors of vast stands of forests. Worldwide an estimated 90 billion
plastic bags are discarded, fi fty to eighty billion of them in the United
States. The UN says that plastic bags are the second most common
type of litter worldwide, just behind cigarette butts. Recent legislation
in New York, Rhode Island, Delaware, and California may signifi cantly
decrease this percentage.
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These new laws require all large grocers and
retailers that offer plastic bags to their customers to provide collection
bins for them, which will dramatically increase recycling opportunities
in the two most populous states in the nation. Recycling of plastic
bags and fi lm reached 12 percent in 2007, a record high, driven by
greater consumer access to recycling programs, primarily at large
grocery and retail stores, as well as by new markets for these recycled
materials.
What are the pros and cons of plastic versus paper bags? Favoring
paper are:
