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Which Toilet Paper is Best For a Septic Tank
Q&A
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about using biodegradable toilet paper in homes connected to a septic tank
FAQs on choosing toilet paper for use in buildings connected to a private septic system.
This article series answers the question of whether we should we use special or bio-degradable toilet paper when a home is connected to a private septic system.
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FAQs: Which toilet tissue is best to use?
These questions & answers about the best type of toilet paper to use in homes connected to a private septic system were posted originally at TOILET TISSUE CHOICES - please be sure to review that data.
On 2018-02-06 19:18:37.310092 by (mod) -
Jody
Watch out: if the septic tank lacks an outlet tee or baffle, solids including toilet paper could flow into the drain field, that would certainly block or clog the fields.
On 2018-02-01 02:56:03.963564 by Jody
Had back up in house. Septic company said inlet was blocked with toilet tissue. Person in house had intestinal trouble and loose bowels, used lots of toilet tissue. Plumber also removed blockage inside line in house. Then outlet in septic wasn't draining. Had to have drainage fields hydro jetting. Do you think toilet tissue in tank cause outlet to stop up also?
On 2017-08-01 17:25:35.331887 by mb
I have a son who uses a ton of TP every day. I am wondering what kind of septic tank additives are best to help to breakdown tissue
On 2017-04-12 16:18:25.855436 by (mod) -
Jinty,
Thanks for the report. At normal household usage levels, toilet paper ought not be clogging a septic tank even if it remains as a contribution to the solids in the tank. I'd check at the septic tank again (DO NOT lean over or fall into a septic tank as that's usually fatal) for signs of high sewage level and a blocked outlet pipe or clogged soakbed.
On 2017-04-09 23:26:34.526772 by Jinty
Hi we had to call our plumber out to our septic tank we have had a lot of problems .I used to use quilted paper and changes to superdrgs own £2.00 for 9 rolls Today when the lid came off it was topped with paper so I decided to investigate online.I tried the breakdown test and put paper in glass it broke down in no time so I thought it can't bad this paper .I forgot to empty the glass and hours late I couldn't believe it had gone back to a solid sheet. So I have to buy various brand and try the test any suggestions thanks JM.
On 2016-10-18 22:55:55.744495 by (mod) -
Not really, Marjorie. At normal usage levels, in a typical, conventional septic system, toilet tissue is not the cause of septic failure.
On 2016-10-18 22:54:57.834933 by (mod) -
marjoriepellot said:
Toilet Tissue is the common cause septic problem.Septic tanks function better when you select a toilet paper that is safe for use in, or especially made for use with a septic system. This is a guide containing toilet paper advice for septic tanks. I have been using Northern 20 years with no problems. Thanks
On 2016-05-17 20:56:10.301361 by Anonymous
Who knew the was so much to tp?
On 2016-05-03 (mod) said:
Thanks for the nice comment Annie - we also welcome questions, criticism, and content suggestions.
On 2016-05-03 08:04:25.924077 by Annie
This information is extremely helpful to us. Thanks!
On 2016-03-05 15:05:16.173547 by (mod) -
Re posting
David Stanley said:
Get a Hand Bidet Sprayer and then you don't really need Toilet Paper or the dreaded Wet Wipes anymore. Better for you and the septic system.
On 2015-11-09 23:07:43.289761 by Anonymous
That helped with information that I needed to know. Thanks.
On 2013-03-05 09:08:04.603720 by irfan
hi
how are you
i am intrested TISSUE roll machine so tell me your price and how one each tissue cost price .....?
On 2013-01-31 15:06:47.722507 by (mod) - bottom line: which is the best toilet paper to use on septic systems?
JJ
Sorry if the article annoyed you or was not clear.
Bottom line: there was no discernable difference in the break-down properties of all of the normal toilet tissues examined - you can use any one you like.
The original article does include some toilet tissue suggestions from Greenpeace.
They also point out that companies who use re-cycled paper are saving trees - a concern of increased importance given the rate of global warming and climate change.
On 2013-01-31 15:06:47.722507 by JJ
I didn't want an "environmental lecture". I just want to know what the best toilet paper is for a septic system.
On 2013-01-17 19:54:41.783018 by Bob
We have old terra cotta drains. The man who snaked them out, said to use biodegradable toilet paper, since there is a ridge in the old lines. What are some names of companies that make biodegradable toilet paper ?
On 2012-04-25 13:54:58.594568 by whitney
Im a 8th grader . and im doing a science fair project , it take alot of my grade. This info helped me ALOT it gave me a whole lot of different ideas for different stuff i can try.
On 2012-03-31 05:59:18.427736 by Mik
A lot of people make the asumption that trees are chopped down just for our own personal benifits, while this is true to an extent you have to realise that these trees are not trees that are hundreds of years old or even unusual species, BUT trees that have been specifically planted and raised for personal hygene, they are usually young and softwood. I have nothing to do with the industry but I also think that if we didnt use these products in the first place, the trees would never have been planted to begin with.
On 2011-12-15 18:10:44.634625 by (mod) -
MakkWest: you can read article citations and the like at the references section at the end of any of our website articles. More about website editors and technical reviewers is at the ABOUT US link found at page bottom.
If you have a specific technical question or suggestion we'd be glad to hear from you. Ad-hominem arguments over technical content are generally not useful.
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On 2011-09-08 00:44:09.781529 by brendan
some further research would be useful here. for simple examples, Marcal uses a very high percentage, not a low one, of post-consumer fiber in its tissue. in fact, for any brand claiming recycling, these %ages ar ususally right on the label, and unless a company is outright lying it should be a simple matter to obtain toilet paper and paper towels with 50%, 80% or even more post-consumer fiber. Marcal, 7th Genreation, CVS, are just three of the commonly available brands.
kimberly clark takes down virgin boreal rainforest to make toilet paper. it should not even be in the same article, it deserves its own--and a caustic one, at that. Georgia Pacific might be even worse--certianly they make almost no products boasting recycled fiber, never mind post consumer, chlorine free waste.
Read Labels!
On 2011-07-24 16:58:56.528547 by (mod) -
Colleen, thanks for the nice note. Before researching this I too had no idea that much toilet paper is made from new tree wood pump;
On 2011-07-23 21:57:25.478872 by colleen
we are moving to a house with a septic system for the first time (in forty years!), so I was reading this to find out what type of paper we'd need to buy. Even though it seems we don't need to, you've convinced me to buy recycled paper. I never realized that trees were being chopped down expressly for the purpose of giving us soft toilet tissue for our bottoms! How spoiled we are. How unnecessary.
...
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Flegenheimer, Matt, "Wet Wipes Box Says Flush. New York's Sewer System Says Don't", The New York Times, 13 March 2015
- New York State Department of Health, APPENDIX 75-A WASTEWATER TREATMENT STANDARDS - INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD SYSTEMS , [PDF] New York State Department of Health, 3 February 2010, retrieved 3/1/2010, original source: https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/nycrr/title_10/part_75/appendix_75-a.htm
- New York Times: "What Mr. Whipple Didn't Say: Softer Paper is Costly to Forests", Leslie Kaufman, New York Times, 2/26/2009 p. A17
- Greenpeace: 2/18/2009 article at http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/reports4/tissueguide includes a downloadable .PDF file. The Greenpeace site reports "Did you know? Americans could save more than 400,000 trees if each family bought a roll of recycled toilet paper—just once. Recycled tissue products help protect ancient forests, clean water, and wildlife habitat. It's easier on the Earth to make tissues from paper instead of trees. Download our printable pocket-sized version of the Guide."
- Kazunori, Hanyu, Hirohisa Kishino, Hidetoshi Yamashita and Chikio Hayashi. "Linkage between recycling and consumption: a case of toilet paper in Japan." Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Volume 30, Issue 3 (1 September, 2000): 177-199.
This study examines consumer factors of paper recycling in Japan. The study specifically focuses on toilet paper as a paper product and attempts to reveal how individuals evaluate recycled toilet paper, how the evaluation relates to toilet paper consumption, and why people use or do not use recycled toilet paper. The study also examines what factors influence collection recycling behavior, and what people believe as necessary to achieve a society with better recycling. Responses were obtained from 1242 respondents in Japan. Four results were found. (1) People cannot judge the raw material of virgin toilet papers correctly, while people can correctly judge the raw material of recycled toilet paper. Furthermore, the image of recycled toilet paper also had negative impact on the willingness to use recycled toilet paper. (2) The primary criterion for purchasing recycled toilet paper was pro-environmental attitude. For the virgin toilet paper, it was brand. As expected, recycled toilet paper users had a positive evaluation and image of recycled toilet paper, while virgin toilet paper users had a negative evaluation and image of it. (3) Actual recycling behavior might not relate directly to consumption behavior of recycled paper. Rather, it was determined by the knowledge of waste collection systems and payment systems. (4) Most people have not realized that without the consumption of recycled products, the recycling system is not completed.
- Recycled Content in toilet paper (US EPA definition): When reporting recycled content, some toilet paper (and other product) manufacturers report total recycled content (combining pre- and post-consumer waste re-use) while others report post-consumer only. Both pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled materials provide the environmental benefits of displacing virgin feedstocks such as toilet paper using a high percentage of paper made from trees. Using post-consumer content has the added benefit of providing markets for materials separated for recycling by consumers, such as newspapers and magazines.
- Postconsumer Materials (US EPA definition): A material or finished product that has served its intended use and has been diverted or recovered from waste destined for disposal, having completed its life as a consumer item. Postconsumer materials are part of the broader category of recovered materials.
- Recovered materials: Waste materials and byproducts that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste, but does not include materials and byproducts generated from, and commonly reused within, an original manufacturing process.
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