Thursday, March 22, 2012

Paper or Cloth? The Napkin Dilemma

Paper table napkins aren't exactly the worst environmental pollutants.  They degrade rather quickly, after all, and they're made from organic materials. 

Unfortunately, there's a problem.

First, they can't be recycled after they've been used.  Bacteria buildup is a concern at recycling facilities.  There's also a problem with the fibers within the napkins being rather short.  Short fibers don't go through the recycling process particularly well, and have a tendency to cause a big unmanageable mess.



Another thing to consider is that paper napkins are not naturally white.  In order to produce the white color that we associate with cleanliness, chlorine is used.  This chlorine is then released into the environment during the degradation process that occurs in the landfills.

Finally, creation of paper napkins is a rather labor intensive process.  Large amounts of fuel and water are used to produce an item that's only used once before being cast off.

The answer seems simple:  Use cloth. 

I really wish life was simple.

Unfortunately, a great deal of fuel and water are used during the production of cloth napkins, as well.  Indeed, more water is used to grow the cotton used for cloth napkins than is used for their paper counterparts.  Fuel use, as well, goes up.  Farms use fuel when the crops are harvested, and the factories that create the cloth napkins use an intense amount of fuel, also.  Now add on your own fuel use.  Unless you wash by hand, you're using fuel to power your washer.  Even more is used if you then place the napkins in the dryer.  Water use, obviously, needs to be taken into account in your own home, as well.

Now, let's look at chemicals.  Pesticides and herbicides are used on the cotton crops that go into cloth napkins, unless you're buying organic.  Chemicals are also used to treat the cotton fibers at the facilities that create them.  When these napkins leave your dinner table and go into the washer, chemicals are again used when you add detergent to the machine.

It seems like I'm making a strong case for paper napkins, now, doesn't it?

I'm actually not.

I use cloth napkins.  I prefer the feel of them when I wipe food from the corners of my mouth, or from my hands.  I don't have to worry about them tearing apart if I'm eating something particularly sticky.  I don't have to worry about shopping for more napkins several times per year.  That makes a big difference now that I'm doing car-free shopping, since space is now at a premium.

So here's the thing.  Cloth Napkins don't seem any better than paper with all of the information I've just given you, but I also haven't given you several factors that shift the balance in favor of cloth.

1.  You don't have to use a lot of water to wash cloth napkins.

Throw them in with your other laundry.  Something that small doesn't make a big difference when it's squished in between larger items.

2.  You don't have to wash them after each use.

Sounds gross, right?  Yeah, I thought so, too, but bacteria needs moisture to grow.  If the napkin doesn't look dirty, and if it isn't wet, it can be used again.  I'd only use them two or three times before washing, and only if they don't appear dirty, but this will save you from running the washer all the time, as well as extend the life of the napkin, since machine washing is rather traumatic for clothing fibers.

3.  Use an organic detergent.

Doing this takes out the chemical waste factor involved in washing.  And if you wash the napkins with all of your other cloth materials none of them are contributing to the chemical waste aspect.  Bonus!

4.  Use linen or hemp napkins instead of cotton.

Linen, which is made from flax, uses less water in the growth process than water intensive cotton.  This makes it a viable choice.  Linen, however, feels a bit more rough on the skin, though, so may not be a top choice.  Hemp, on the other hand, uses even less water during the growth process, and gets softer with each washing it goes through.


All of these factors help to make cloth napkins a more viable choice, but there's one more thing you can do to help the environment that makes cloth napkins a great choice.

Make them yourself using the old clothing that you no longer wear!

That's right.  Just cut up that old shirt that you love so much but that doesn't fit anymore, or maybe has a nasty stain in a location visible to others, and reuse it as a napkin.  By doing this you can save your shirt from being stuck at the bottom of your drawer, or shoved to the back of a closet.  This gives you the opportunity to have your own custom designed cloth napkin, and gives your table a more comfortable and welcoming appearance. 

And speaking of comfort, what could feel better when you wipe the edges of your mouth that something you've already broken in and softened?  Bonus!




No comments:

Post a Comment