Today you can go to a gas station and find the cash register open and the toilets locked. They must think toilet paper is worth more than money. - Joey Bishop
One of my friends is an environmental engineer and through him I recently discovered that toilet papers/wipes do not disintegrate naturally when the toilet is flushed. These tissues are made out of heavy oil based chemicals to make the paper soft. This causes a huge problem at the sewage treatment plant. There are threads and articles on the internet on clogging of home owners septic tanks. Only then people have realised to use the right kind of toilet paper. The clogging issue also arises at the large sewage treatment plants that cater the city.
In Australia the general practice is to flush the toilet paper. In a study in Adelaide, toilet paper broke down easily but wipes which are generally used by middle aged men and woven did not disintegrate after flushing down the toilet. South Australia water authority is in serious discussion with manufacturers of these wipes who claim the wipes are flushable. This study made me think about other countries and their problems with toilet paper disposal after usage.
Above is an interesting link which specifies what to do with the toilet paper in every country in the world. Some countries flush it and some countries bin it. According to the website mentioned above, most of the advanced countries have no issues with flushing the toilet paper while some countries do not have a strong system to take the toilet paper. Interestingly, some countries even use water instead of toilet paper. Bidets are very popular in some advanced and developing countries.
A big concern is that it is widely known that deforestation for toilet papers and wipes is on the rise. Then why are we using them? If toilet papers/wipes are to be used, they should be from recycled paper which should disintegrate easily. But if a renewable source like water is available then why don't we use water after using the toilet? BIDETS! This may not be a pressing issue for developed countries but a change is required. A cultural change needs to be inculcated to bring along a change in our daily routine to make a greater difference.
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