Reckless use of tissues is a pressing issue

SPARE a thought for the environment before using tissue paper. Like many others, I had been using tissues liberally and mindlessly. Where one or two napkins could serve the purpose, I would use and throw away a stack of tissues. I didn’t mind grabbing quite a few of them for drying hands in a public toilet at a mall or a restaurant. I would prefer using a tissue towel to a reusable cloth for cleaning whenever I spilt something on my clothes.

I continued to use tissues irresponsibly till a thought-provoking video that popped up on my mobile phone screen opened my eyes. It was shocking to learn that around 27,000 trees are cut down every day globally just to make toilet paper. I realised how much damage our ‘use and throw’ habit was causing to the environment. Besides the felling of trees, a huge volume of water is used to make tissues, which are thrown away after being consumed only once.

More damaging is the obsession with soft tissues, which are made from virgin fibre (freshly cut trees) rather than recycled paper. Soft tissue paper is harder on the environment in terms of use of water, energy consumed and the emission of greenhouse gases as compared to tissues made from recycled paper.

We must save trees to protect the environment. Trees are a fountainhead of oxygen and water, without which life is inconceivable. Like lungs, trees help cleanse the air of pollutants, act as a barrier against floods and also help in moderating global temperatures. As we carry out a tree plantation drive every July, we cannot ignore the significance of saving trees from being chopped for various purposes. Paper is largely made from wood, for which trees are cut down extensively. By saving all kinds of paper, including ‘one-time use’ tissues, we can help save trees.

Considering their huge environmental impact, we must minimise the use of tissues as far as possible and refrain from demanding soft and ultra-soft tissues. Why ape the West and adopt habits which are not eco-friendly? Sticking to our traditional reusable options should not be hard. Even if we must use tissue paper, we should do it efficiently, avoiding wastage. Why use half-a-dozen tissues when one is good enough? Instead of tissue paper, we can prefer a hand dryer, whenever and wherever available, in public toilets.

We must realise that most of the extreme weather events, including the devastation caused by the recent floods in the northern states, are directly or indirectly the result of humankind’s actions or inaction which can be traced to people’s greed, negligence and sheer indifference. Let us not stick to the false belief that someone else will save the environment. Let us all own responsibility and do our bit to save earth. The least we can do is not to waste paper of any kind, and think twice before using tissue/toilet paper.