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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.
Did toilet paper clogging cause our septic system backup?
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 2018-02-01 by Jody
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.
Does quilted toilet paper increase the risk of pipe or septic system clogging?
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 2017-04-09 by Jinty
by (mod) - unlikely
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.
Notes on environmental impact of different toilet paper brands
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 2011-09-08 by brendan
by (mod) -
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- DISPOSABLE WET WIPE CLOGS
- NEVER FLUSH INTO SEPTICS
- TOILETS, DON'T FLUSH LIST
- TOILET TISSUE CHOICES
- TOILET TISSUE TEST
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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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