"There is a battle for America's behinds," said David A. Fahrenthold in The Washington Post. Environmental groups say plush toilet paper is "a menace" and a "dark-comedy" example of American excess. The reason? "Plush U.S. toilet paper is usually made by chopping down and grinding up trees that were decades or even a century old," so we should follow Europe's example and wipe with tissue made from recycled paper goods.
In a world where many people wipe with "leaves or scrap paper," said Bruce Watson in Daily Finance, the "American obsession" with quilted, super-soft toilet paper "may be the pinnacle of consumer silliness." It's made in "long, chemical-laden processes," plus it's expensive. But Consumer Reports found that people often have to use more of rougher recycled and one-ply brands—so the environmental impact really isn't that great.
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