DailyDirt: Not-So-Gross National Products

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Thu, Jan 31st 2013 5:00pm — Michael Ho

Public bathrooms everywhere have been trying to reduce their water, energy and paper product usage. There was even a $100,000 prize from the Gates Foundation to design a better toilet. Toilet paper could be the next bathroom product that's ripe for disruption, so ponder a few of these articles next time you're on the thinker.

Toilet paper on a roll was first introduced in the 1890s, and it took several decades before consumers were really comfortable asking for the product by name. Not surprisingly, the US uses more toilet paper than any other country, and the growing use of "TP" is evidence of the rising influence of western marketing.... [url]
Star Toilet Paper is a startup that puts advertisements on toilet paper. The investor pitch goes something like: "It's like Groupon, but on toilet paper... and everyone has to use the bathroom, so if we can just get 0.0001% conversion..." [url]
A new toilet paper called "Moka" is partially made from recycled paper products, so it's not the gleaming white most people are accustomed to. Beige toilet paper is more environmentally friendly, but will any bathrooms (other than public restrooms) actually use brown toilet paper? [url]
Recycled toilet paper relies on the quality of the products it's made from, so if there's less office paper waste -- recycled toilet paper is either going to get more expensive or feel even less like "normal" TP. Seventh Generation says there may be a limit to how soft recycled toilet paper can get, but there may be paper additives that might help (but additives might also reduce the environmentally-friendly aspects). [url]

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Filed Under: advertisements, recycled, toilet paper, toilets
Companies: seventh generation, star toilet paper

12 Comments

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charliebrown (profile), 31 Jan 2013 @ 5:15pm

Here in Australia, we've had the option to use recycled paper toilet paper for at least the last 20 years. Personally I use a brand called "Safe". It's cheap and soft and, yes, off-white If you're in Australia, give it a try.
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- Anonymous Coward, 31 Jan 2013 @ 5:18pm
  
  Re: off-white isn't brown...
  As long as there isn't actually leftover newsprint on the toilet paper... who cares? and it sounds like ppl used to wipe their butts with old Sears catalog pages?! ouch.
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Zos (profile), 31 Jan 2013 @ 6:21pm

i have to admit, i've been tempted for awhile to get one of those bidet seats... heated jets sound kind of awesome.
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- Skeptical Cynic (profile), 31 Jan 2013 @ 7:51pm
  
  Re:
  They do
  they really do.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Jan 2013 @ 7:11pm

It's really time for the three seashells.
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McCrea (profile), 31 Jan 2013 @ 8:57pm

free recycled toilet paper
I can recycle my own toilet paper.
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Rekrul, 1 Feb 2013 @ 3:20am

How about a sponge on a stick and a bucket of water to swish it in when you're done? It's what the Romans used to use...
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Ninja (profile), 1 Feb 2013 @ 3:52am

Recycled toilet paper relies on the quality of the products it's made from, so if there's less office paper waste -- recycled toilet paper is either going to get more expensive or feel even less like "normal" TP

The anal region is highly irrigated (no wonder the most dangerous type of sexual relation for infectivity by the HIV is the anal one). Which takes us to a pretty serious problem. Suppose you use office paper to produce such recyclable TP. It most certainly will come with ink/powder from ink jet and laser printers not to mention ink from all sorts of pens. How well is this type of residue removed from the paper? I mean it can't be healthy to have printer ink residue be absorbed and fall in your blood, right?
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2013 @ 4:05am

I tend to use a wet wipe (one normaly is enough) and then just 2/3 sheets of tp to dry!
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2013 @ 4:44am

In Wash DC they use the Bill of Rights
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patzilla (profile), 1 Feb 2013 @ 8:52am

Toilet Paper
The best roll of toilet paper I ever bought was non-tear. Hahaha. My Grandchildren cried. My Aunt laughed.
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Kevin (profile), 1 Feb 2013 @ 11:07am

More toilet friendly paper
I propose that all newspapers, telephone directories and copy paper become toilet friendly. Yes we need softer newspapers etc. Maybe a home machine that can perforate and aerate paper that turns harsh papers into soft tissues.
Better a patent the idea. The Perfaerator.
Then I guess the printers would object over copyright issues. Transferring print to one's rear may be considered illegal copying.
Come to think about it what did people do during the depression era. Maybe a Perfaerator already exists.
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