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Imagine being in the store trying to decide which toilet paper is best for you. It’s about comfort versus environmental concern.

Should you buy virgin white, soft toilet paper, or should you buy recycled paper because it’s thought to be more eco-friendly? While that decision is entirely up to you, I’ll share some information about each type of toilet paper to help you make an informed decision.

Made differently

To make new toilet paper, companies have to cook virgin wood pulp. Virgin means that the wood pulp hasn’t been used before. It’s not being recycled; it’s new.

The process requires some boiling, some bleaching (usually with non-chlorine agents), and then the addition of softeners to make it feel nice on your skin. Imagine squeezing the Charmin!

Creating recycled toilet paper is more labor intensive because it takes more time and chemicals. The reason is that recycling companies begin the process with products we’ve used before — that’s how they get their “wood pulp;” it’s not from a tree.

So, for example, they use magazines, paper plates, newspapers, cardboard and other paper items you dump into your recycle bin.

These paper products have all kinds of writing and pictures on them, so de-inking chemicals are required to get the colors off there. It’s a tedious process to de-ink recycled pulp, but it needs to be done because everyone likes white toilet paper.

For this reason, recycled toilet paper requires (and has residues of) more chemicals than virgin paper. BPA (bisphenol A), which has been detected in some recycled toilet paper, is a hormone disruptor chemical. It may also have extra softeners and/or perfumes to improve its feel.

And it’s not just toilet paper; the same process is used for certain baby wipes, flushable adult wipes, facial tissues and some paper towels.

Even Time magazine wrote an article in March 2023 entitled “Now We Need to Worry About Harmful ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Our Toilet Paper Too.”

Pros and cons

So, in summary, the pros of recycled toilet paper brands involve sustainability and putting to good use all that junk mail you throw out. On the downside, it requires and contains a few more chemicals.

Does this make it more eco-friendly or not? I’m uncertain at this point.

The pros of virgin toilet paper are softness and strength. Most people think it feels better on their skin. But the downside is it requires new wood pulp. Most people today are mindful of our planet’s resources.

Should you wish for a deeper dive into the topic, a more detailed and extensive version of this article awaits on my website, suzycohen.com.

[Ed. Note: Toilet paper made from bamboo is widely available and considered sustainable due to bamboo’s rapid regrowth.]

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe.