Editing Toilet paper (section)

==Environmental considerations==
{{further|Environmental impact of paper}}
[[File:Toilet tissue roll on seat.jpg|thumb|Some people spread toilet paper on public toilet seats before sitting down.]]One tree produces about 800 rolls ({{convert|400|lb}}) of toilet paper and about 83 million rolls are produced per day.<ref name="Toilet paper fun facts">{{cite web | url = http://www.toiletpaperhistory.net/toilet-paper-facts/toilet-paper-fun-facts/ | title = Toilet paper fun facts | publisher = ToiletPaperHistory.com }}</ref> Global toilet paper production consumes 27,000 trees daily.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/thegreenguide/2010/04/27000-trees-a-day-used-for-toilet-tissue.html |title=Toilet paper wipes out 27,000 trees a day – National Geographic's Green Guide |work=National Geographic |date=16 April 2010 |access-date=26 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219201640/http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/thegreenguide/2010/04/27000-trees-a-day-used-for-toilet-tissue.html |archive-date=19 February 2012  }}</ref>

More than seven billion rolls of toilet paper are sold yearly in the United States alone. Americans use an average of 141 rolls per capita a year which is equivalent to {{convert|12.7|kg}} of tissue paper per year.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.statista.com/chart/15676/cmo-toilet-paper-consumption/ | title = The U.S. Leads the World in Toilet Paper Consumption | date = 5 October 2018 | access-date = 9 May 2020}}</ref> This figure is about 50% more than the average of other Western countries or Japan.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.simpleecology.com/eco/soft-tissue-paper.html | title = Soft Tissue Paper is Hard on the Environment | work = Simple Ecology | date = 22 August 2009 | access-date = 23 February 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091124123657/http://www.simpleecology.com/eco/soft-tissue-paper.html | archive-date = 24 November 2009 | url-status = dead }}</ref> The higher use in the United States may be explained by the fact that other countries people use bidets or spray hoses to clean themselves.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/euro-style-personal-hygiene-with-the-bidet/index.html | title = Euro-style Personal Hygiene With the Bidet | work = hgtv.com | date = 27 February 2012 | access-date = 27 February 2012 | archive-date = 13 February 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120213081022/http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/euro-style-personal-hygiene-with-the-bidet/index.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> Millions of trees are [[logging|harvested]] in North and South America leaving [[ecological footprint]] concerns.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/greenpeaceusa_blog/2009/02/26/destroying_forest_to_make_toilet_paper_i | title = Destroying forests to make toilet paper is 'worse than driving Hummers' | work = Green Peace | date = 26 February 2009 | last = Lindsey | access-date = 23 February 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100227090838/http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/greenpeaceusa_blog/2009/02/26/destroying_forest_to_make_toilet_paper_i | archive-date = 27 February 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

{{As of|2009}}, between 22% and 48% of the toilet paper used in the United States comes from [[tree farm]]s in the U.S. and South America, with the rest mostly coming from old, [[second growth forest]]s, and, some from [[virgin forest]]s.<ref name="NYT0127" />

===Alternatives to virgin wood pulp===
Toilet paper made from recycled paper avoids the direct environmental impact of cutting down trees, and is commercially available. Recycled newspaper can contain [[Bisphenol A|BPA]], an [[endocrine disruptor]].<ref name="huffpo" />

Toilet paper produced from [[bamboo]] is commercially available, and is in some ways more environmentally friendly than virgin pulpwood, because bamboo grows faster, taking less land and less water. For North American consumers, the [[Natural Resources Defense Council]] recommends recycled tree pulp over bamboo toilet paper, because tree forests promote more [[biodiversity]] and bamboo products must be shipped from Asia.<ref name="nrdc">[https://www.optimistdaily.com/2021/03/which-toilet-paper-is-the-most-eco-friendly-bamboo-vs-recycled/ Which toilet paper is the most eco-friendly? Bamboo vs. Recycled]</ref>

Toilet paper produced from [[bagasse]], a byproduct of [[sugarcane]], is commercially available, and avoids cutting down any plants because sugarcane is already grown for sugar production.<ref name="huffpo">{{Cite web|date=2013-03-08|title=The Hidden Danger in Recycled Toilet Paper|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/recycled-toilet-paper_b_2822188|access-date=2021-05-12|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref>

The most environmentally friendly alternatives are to rely solely on [[Anal hygiene#Water|soap and water for anal hygiene]].<ref name="nrdc" />