Many of us trying to trend more lightly on the earth are careful about our use of paper. Printing only when necessary, using both sides of the paper and recycling it when we are done. But when it comes to other paper products such as toilet paper, we might not think of the impact we are making when we buy a certain brand of toilet paper. Unfortunately according to Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, 98% of the toilet paper sold in the US comes from virgin forests. The UK newspaper The Guardian recently claimed that the American desire for soft toilet paper is doing more environmental damage than the gas-guzzling Hummer. That seems plausible since it is something everyone uses multiple times a day yet horrifying considering that this product spends a mere second or two on our body before being flushed down the toilet.

Greenpeace has come out with a Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide to educate us on the choices we have. It ranks different brands of toilet paper, paper towels, paper napkins and facial tissue according to three criteria: percent post-consumer recycled material, percent overall recycled material, and the bleaching process. Fortunately there are a number of brands that are recommended, you just have to know where to find them.

Green Forest came out as the top brand in all categories, using 90% post-consumer recycled material in all their products, 100% overall recycled content and processed chlorine-free (without chemicals known to cause cancer.) Unfortunately I was unable to find this brand on shelves at my local stores. But online I was able to find it at Amazon.com and Drugstore.com. I was pleasantly surprised to find that their prices were competitive with the other recommended brands, particularly if you buy their toilet paper in bulk on Amazon or their paper towels at drugstore.com.

Doing some quick research at my local grocery stores, I concluded that the most readily available brands that were the most affordable were usually the 365 brand (Whole Foods' store brand) or Trader Joe's brand. Buying in bulk will also save you money as well.

Unfortunately most of the brands that are listed as brands to avoid are brands that are readily available and well-known. They contain little to mostly no post-consumer waste and are bleached with chlorine compounds which create super toxic chemicals known to cause cancer. These include Target brand, Wal-Mart brand, Scott, Kleenex, Cottonelle, Charmin and Brawny. Check the guide for a complete list.

In addition to buying products that pose the least amount of harm to the environment, we can cut down our impact even more if we avoid disposable paper products to begin with. Instead of using paper towels, use wash cloths, dish towels, cloth diapers or other rags that can be washed and reused many times. Instead of paper napkins use cloth napkins. Buy several different sets of cloth napkins to use at meals and you can feel like you are at a nice restaurant! Even when it comes to facial tissues there are alternatives like a handkerchief. When my son has a constant runny nose, I grab a burp cloth and use it throughout the day. At the end of the day I just toss it in the wash.

Download Greenpeace’s convenient pocket guide to keep in your wallet for when you go to the store so you don’t have to memorize which brands to buy and which to avoid!