Easy Green – Buy Recycled Paper Products

Want to save trees, water and energy all in one action?  An easy way to be green is to purchase your paper products with recycled content.  My goal is generally to buy with as much recycled content as possible.

Toilet Paper – Recycled regular paper made into toilet paper – what were you thinking I meant?

All kidding aside – people are very specific about the feel of their toilet paper – so I suggest buying a brand that at least has some percentage of recycled content.  I buy Marcal Small Steps brand – and I’ve been really happy with it – it is 100% recycled content and the 1000 sheets bath tissue is very similar to Scott brand (which has always been my favorite kind).

Printer Paper – This takes some forethought generally because if you pick up some at the grocery store or local drug store they may only offer non-recycled paper.  You will enjoy more selection online or at an office supply store .

I found that printer paper seems to be the most price sensitive to recycled content – I think a good price/benefit compromise is 30% recycled content.  However, if you go higher – you get bonus points.

My girls are both artists so we go through paper pretty quickly here.  Of course almost all of the drawings are then recycled… Please don’t tell on me.  (o;

My Humble Cloth Pile

Paper Towels and Napkins – Okay… I haven’t actually bought paper towels in a long time.  However, when I have been cornered into buying some, I always look for as much recycled content as possible.

Yeah, well what do we do about bacon, you ask?  Try laying it over a cooling rack and letting the grease drip to a plate below… you’re welcome.

Anyways, what I use are dish cloths and old cloth baby diapers to wipe down my counters.  I keep a stash of nice-er cloth napkins to wrap snacks in for the girls.

Super Cute but… is it Practical???

I’ve got to say – I keep seeing this set-up on Pinterest and while I admire the cuteness of it and the intention to reuse… I think it’s going to look like that once all snapped together in a roll and then eventually end up in a pile like mine anyways.  Also – how annoying would those snaps be in the dryer or as you are trying to clean?

Okay, that said – if someone gave me some for Christmas I would secretly love it…

Facial Tissue – This one is something I need to work on.  So far I have been faithfully buying the ‘with lotion’ kind feeling very sorry for myself.  However, I pledge here and now to try a box of tissue with recycled content.

Something else that you could do for an ouchie nose is cut up an old tee-shirt (one that’s too used up to donate) and use that for kleenex… nice and soft and it was going to end up in a land fill anyways.

Did I Miss Anything?  What recycled products do you routinely buy?  Have you stopped buying one type of product altogether and opted for a reuseable option?  Did you buy the snapped together roll of cute cloths and are offended by my review?  Let me know in the comments!  (o;