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Taking Environmental issues too far...?
federica
Seeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
3 reasons I don't use toilet paper any more, if I can possibly help it. (and I'm not going to say anything more.)
https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/5987202/ditch-toilet-paper-piles-infection/
https://modernsurvivalblog.com/preps/how-many-rolls-of-toilet-paper-do-you-use-every-week/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1541657/Britons-lead-the-way-in-toilet-paper-use.html
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Comments
When I spent a few months in India I attempted to follow the local butt cleaning customs (when in Rome...), toilet paper supposedly was too much for the sewage systems and was not readily available. I lasted for a few weeks but it was unpleasant to my western sensibilities and my rear wasn't handling it well.
Anyway I adopted a method of using TP efficiently that I've continued to use. I take a few feet and instead of throwing it out with each wipe I fold the poo in and use the fresh outside. After the first wipe I'll either fold it a couple times or throw that small bit out fully. I don't really track my TP usage but I would guess a roll lasts me probably 3-4 weeks on average.
After reading the first article though I may get some wet wipes to finish up.
Do you have a bidet or is there some other way of cleaning up without TP?
No, I don't have a bidet. But I have a bottle of warm water to hand, and I have perfected a method of washing both the required area and my hand at the same time.
I als have a compactable/collapsible water bottle (like the one in the link, but a different brand) I take with me everywhere, and a little piece of flannel/facecloth. Sorted.
Half the reason bidets are commonplace in Italy & France (particularly in older buildings!), is that yes, the sewage/discharge pipes are a much narrower gauge... they clog very easily, and it's not the "human refuse" that is the problem, but yes, the paper.
People need to understand the difference between 'degradable' and 'organic'. Organic stuff (like your poo) is very easily and quickly broken down, and is harmless environmentally. degradable also breaks down over time, but takes much longer and in the meantime could be a pollutant.
(The word 'bio' preceding is actually misleading, and gives the impression the item is 'green' when in in fact, it isn't, always. The term 'Bio' is largely unnecessary, confusing and clever marketing to make you believe you're being ecologically responsible).
Poo is organic. Paper is degradable.
On AVERAGE, a person might use around 50 sheets a day - a loo roll contains about 200 sheets, so that's one loo roll, per person, over 4 days. Now multiply that by the number of people in your household. Now, your neighbours, community, village, town, city.... That's a hell of a lot of paper to filter out of the water system and dispose of.
How is washing with water, by hand, not a better option for the above reason, alone...?!
If those are the choices, yes hand washing is obviously superior. I use maybe 10 sheets a day so I don't feel like it's quite so obvious and... well... touching poo. It's a good thing to be made aware of that probably lots of people don't think twice about.
I realise some people are very particular, and even averse to considering the origin of their own poo. I also appreciate that some people may be coprophobic. I'm more a Blennophobe myself.... So I do get the extreme aversion.
But for those who have spent quite few collective years changing their babies' nappies, we know what poo feels like and smells like. In a nappy, in a closed room, it can be a challenging experience.
But we don't poo like babies, and our poo usually has a different consistency, and it falls into water, so much of what makes baby poo "offensive" is non existent in an adult.
And it takes literally a few seconds to clean up thoroughly.
You can wash your hand at the same time.
I guarantee, even without soap, the hand will be clean.
I use a plastic 750ml water drinking bottle. I fill it with warm water, and once done.... Look, I'm not going to draw you a diagram, ok? Front-ways, I pour with my left, and clean with my right (Because I don't have a religous obligation to do it the other way). Then I use a flannel to dry off.
It's really so much better, and already, I have noticed a difference in our paper consumption.
I can practically feel a lot of people out there with open mouths and glazed expressions wondering how far this will go
I will spare blushes by adding that a spray bottle with added soap works well, though not as invigorating as a bidet, especially if you dont get the temperature just right! 
My sister recently reminded me that only three p things should go down the pan ...
Poo, piss and paper.
As I regularly have to use rods to clear our blocked sewage, I know jay clothes, wet wipes and other materials should not be flushed, whatever it says on the package. Nobody listens ...
We have a second outside loo, that I may have to insist is used. That will teach them fatbergers
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatberg
Good going, @kando !
While we're on the subject of ecological loos @federica do you know of a substitute for bleach that actually works? The ecover one just doesn't in my experience.
I would still reduce it to two P's @lobster...
Try bicarb of soda & white (clear) vinegar....
Will do @federica - on the subject of outside loos @lobster, my grandmother insisted on using her old earth closet right up until she was in her eighties, even though she had the indoor variety. She was a cantankerous Cornishwoman of farming stock, and old style farmers never liked to waste anything, especially if it improved the land