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Rosemary Bointon's avatar

Personally I prefer cloths for everyday cleaning tasks but you are right that sometimes paper towels are very useful. They also have their limitations as they disintegrate easily or you have to use vast quantities. I often wonder which is the more polluting: the creation, use and disposal of paper towels or the creation of cloths, their washing and disposal. I wonder if there are systems to make such comparisons for their various uses.

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Marjan Venema's avatar

No idea. Quite possibly there are, as you can find comparisons on "duurzaamheid" (sustainability). Only problem with those: you don't know what they take into account. Like the marketing of electric cars with "zero emission". That's only partly true. The car itself may not emit any CO2, but the plant that provides it with the electricity to recharge its battery certainly does. Not to mention the hazard of that battery and the pollution created in its manufacturing (chain).

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Rosemary Bointon's avatar

Yes, it's really hard to assess a complete through life cost. It's like nuclear power - perceived as cheap because disposal of the power plant is not costed in.

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