Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper & Toilet Paper Alternatives

Why is it important to consider purchasing eco-friendly toilet paper? 27,000 trees are felled for toilet paper production every single day!

Not so long ago it was quite easy to buy ‘recycled toilet paper’ in paper packaging. However most recycled toilet papers now come in plastic and as I’m trying to avoid plastic as much as possible I started looking for alternatives. Unfortunately eco-friendly toilet paper (with no plastic) can be expensive and it’s not readily available in the usual shops. My quest to find the most environmentally friendly, and affordable, option began. On my quest I came across several eco-friendly alternatives to toilet paper as well.

There are some affiliate links in this article. I may earn a small amount of money, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase something. I’m also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which enables me to earn money by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Read more in my disclaimer.

Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper

Recycled

Almost every supermarket now sells their own brand of recycled toilet paper and has stopped selling Ecoleaf, which was found everywhere for a while. Not a surprise that they saw a growing market and decided to get involved. Fortunately, and somewhat surprisingly for an environmentally friendly option, recycled own brand toilet paper is often a bit cheaper than the other options available. A lot of the supermarket own brand toilet papers are manufactured in the UK which reduces their carbon footprint too. Sadly, most recycled toilet papers come with LDPE plastic packaging, which states it’s recyclable but a lot of recycling centres in the UK don’t actually accept it.

Bamboo

Toilet paper made from bamboo is becoming quite popular, especially as there was a big marketing campaign for a company called ‘Who Gives a Crap‘ not so long ago. Bamboo is one of the most sustainable materials available as it’s fast growing and doesn’t need a lot of water or any nasty pesticides and herbicides to grow. There are a few bamboo toilet paper companies around these days, however most are manufactured abroad and you have to get it delivered as very few shops actually sell it. Bamboo toilet paper does tend to come in paper or compostable packaging or you can choose to buy loose toilet rolls from some companies.

How to Make Your Bathroom More Eco-Friendly

Which is the best eco-friendly toilet paper?

There are pros and cons to all of these options so you have to decide what’s the most important thing to you. You might find that purchasing toilet paper that is wrapped in plastic but manufactured in the UK is actually much better for the planet than plastic free toilet rolls that have been shipped from China.

Recycled Toilet Paper

EcoLeaf Recycled Paper Toilet Tissue

• 100% Recycled
• Recyclable Packaging
• Made in UK
• 68p per roll

£8.15 for 12 rolls, 220 sheets per roll. Ecoleaf recycled toilet paper is made from 100% recycled paper and is manufactured in the UK thereby reducing its carbon footprint. The outer wrapping is 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) wrap that is recyclable with other plastics.

Sainsbury’s Supersoft Recycled Toilet Paper

• 100% Recycled
• Made in UK
• Recyclable Packaging
• FSC Certified*
• 36p per roll

£3.30 for 9 rolls, 220 sheets per roll. Like Ecoleaf, Sainsbury’s own brand recycled toilet paper is made from 100% recycled paper and manufactured in the UK and the outer wrapping can be recycled.

Who Gives a Crap – Recycled Toilet Paper

• 100% Recycled
• Plastic Free Packaging
• 92p a roll*

£44 for 48 rolls (free shipping), each roll has 400 sheets. *You can often get a discount for your first order and it’s also worth noting that the toilet rolls are double rolls, meaning that the price per roll might not be an accurate way to measure how expensive they are. See more about Who Gives a Crap below.

Bamboo Toilet Paper

Who Gives a Crap – Bamboo Toilet Paper

• 100% Bamboo Toilet Paper
• Plastic Free Packaging
• £1 a roll*

£48 for 48 rolls (free shipping), each roll has 370 sheets.

*As with their recycled toilet paper you can normally get a discount for your first order and these are also double rolls.

Although I’m not personally overjoyed that Who Gives a Crap manufactures their toilet rolls in China, their packaging is made from recycled paper and they donate 50% of all their profits to help build toilets for some of the most disadvantaged people in the world. They don’t have FSC certification but they are B Corp™ certified. They recently went carbon neutral in all shipping globally and have worked with many of their warehousing partners to install solar panels to the warehouses they use. Read my review of Who Gives a Crap.

The Cheeky Panda

• Bamboo Toilet Paper
• Plastic Free Packaging
• FSC certified
• 83p per roll

48 rolls for £39.99, 200 sheets per roll. FSC certified bamboo, 100% recyclable packaging and the individual toilet rolls come unwrapped. They’re also B Corp™ certified, and certified vegan friendly and cruelty free.

Bumboo Bamboo toilet tissue

• Bamboo Toilet Paper
• Plastic Free Packaging
• FSC certified
• £1 per roll

24 rolls for £24, but there are 300 sheets per roll. FSC certified bamboo and packaged in 100% plastic-free packaging. The bamboo is sourced and packaged in China and shipped to the UK. This toilet roll is made with no pesticides or fertilisers and without chemical scents, dyes or de-inking agents. Bumboo also plants a tree for every box purchased through the Eden Reforestation Project.

Bamboo Bobbi Toilet Roll

• 100% FSC-traceable bamboo
• Biodegradable
• Packaging 100% recycled and recyclable
• 83p per roll

Information correct to the best of my knowledge based on each companies own product descriptions.
* FSC certified – ‘The FSC system allows businesses and consumers to identify, purchase and use wood, paper and other forest products made with materials from well-managed forests and/or recycled sources.’
** Cost per roll – What the above doesn’t take into account is the number of sheets per roll nor the thickness of the roll (2 or 3 ply for example.) Prices correct as of 19/11/23 although you might find some shops are cheaper or more expensive than shown above.

There are loads more recycled and bamboo toilet papers available, each having its own advantages and disadvantages. Check out these eco-friendly toilet papers to read more about GreenCane, Traidcraft and more…

Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Toilet Paper

Like I said there are pros and cons to each of the ‘eco-friendly toilet papers’ mentioned above. If it’s 100% recycled and made in the UK then it’s likely to have plastic packaging. If it’s plastic free then it’s probably being shipped from China and is pretty expensive. Bearing this in mind it’s time for us to look at toilet paper alternatives!

Reusable Wipes

Sometimes referred to as the ‘family cloth’, many eco-conscious people are now using reusable cloth wipes instead of traditional toilet paper. These can be made from rags, old flannels, basically any old fabrics you already own. The easier option is to buy a Cheeky Wipes Kit. Cheeky wipes are reusable wipes, not those nasty disposable toilet tissue wipes which end up creating fatbergs though…

Cheeky Wipes (get 15% off by using this link)

You can buy a cheeky wipes kit which includes 50 flannel or cotton terry wipes, a wipe container (to keep your fresh moist wipes in), a mucky container (for the used ones), some essential oils to keep them smelling nice and a mesh bag for washing the mucky ones.

Lots of people these days prefer moist toilet tissues, which are very popular. They should never be thrown in the loo though. If you’re disposing of your wipes responsibly, changing up to these reusable wipes shouldn’t be too big a change.

I haven’t yet decided whether I want to try this out for myself yet or not even though it would almost certainly work out cheaper in the long term. If you buy toilet paper you’re still consuming more thereby increasing your carbon footprint so these are definitely worth considering. Moist wipes are thought to be a lot more hygienic and make you feel a lot fresher too.

Bidet Attachments

If washing your toilet ‘paper’ is a step too far but you like the idea of feeling a little bit fresher down there after a visit to the little girls or boys room maybe you could try out a bidet attachment. Bidets seem very 70’s and I’m pretty sure that most homes that had one installed never used it (except to wash their feet). The new innovative ‘bidet’ is a small attachment to your existing toilet. If you’ve ever visited Asia then you’ve probably experienced something similar to this. It’s essentially like having a little shower, just for one part of your body only! You can even buy travel bidet attachments.

Bidet attachments vary greatly in price depending where you buy them and what settings they include. Prices correct as of 19/11/23.

• Handheld Bidet Sprayer for Toilet – £21.99 (+ free delivery)
• Bidet Toilet Seat Attachment, Hot&Cold Sprayer – £72.99 (+ free delivery)
• Portable Bidet for Toilet or Travel – £8.99 (+ free delivery)
• Portable Waterproof Electric Bidet Sprayer – $23.99 (+ free delivery)

Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper or Alternatives to Toilet Paper?

Put simply if you buy eco-friendly toilet paper or one of the alternatives you’re doing a lot more for the planet than if you stick with your current loo paper.

It’s certainly worth considering the toilet paper alternatives. One great reason to consider the toilet paper alternatives is so you aren’t caught out the next time people panic buy toilet paper! I also think in the long term they’ll cost a lot less and they’re much better for the environment.

If you stick with eco-friendly toilet paper then try to balance out your personal values and work out which is the better option for you. I love that some of the companies plant trees or build toilets. I really hope that plastic packaging disappears from loo rolls altogether in the not too distant future as I hate having to buy any plastic but I do have to consider how much money I’m spending on anything right now. Bamboo toilet paper is a bit too expensive for me at the moment, so maybe I will have to consider Cheeky Wipes after all!

Update – I ended up buying a Cheeky Wipes kit and I couldn’t be happier! Admittedly it’s a bit weird washing your ‘toilet paper’ and hanging it on the washing line, but I wouldn’t go back to paper now. Click this link – Cheeky Wipes – to receive 15% off any order. Be brave, try them, because I’m almost certain you won’t regret your decision!

If you like what I do and want to support me, you can buy me a ‘coffee’ which helps with the running costs of the website. Alternatively come and say hello on facebook, twitter or pinterest.

PIN ME