Things We Used to Love but Are Now Dead to Us: Paper Towels
This is the first post in a series of "Things We Used to Love but Are Now Dead to Us," where you get to ride along on our sustainability journey.
Today’s victim? Paper towels.
First, a truth bomb: one of us (Sean) is much further along in moving towards zero waste than the other (Adam, your author here), but we're both fully on board now.
What this means is we've got two different perspectives: Sean is a seasoned veteran, and Adam is a wide-eyed rookie. It also means we don't give a heck where you're at. If you want to reduce your footprint, we think we can help.
But enough of that. Back to paper towels. Glorious, easy to use, inexpensive, easily disposable paper towels. Remember them? I'm not going to get into all their virtues. You all know how practical they are, and I was definitely a skeptic of any kind of sustainable replacement, because I used them everywhere and for everything.
What this towel says, if you don’t speak the French, is that it’s not a paper towel, but is in fact something much more useful that can be reused again and again.
But, I haven't bought a roll of paper towels in months. I've started using these cellulose and cotton cloths from KLIIN, which is a Canadian company based in Montreal. These things were originally invented in Sweden, and have been in use there and around Europe for decades now. And for good reason. I'm gonna give you the top five quick reasons why I'd recommend a switch.
They work - super well, in fact. They can absorb up to 15 times their weight, and dry out really easily.
They last - up to 300 washes, says the manufacturer... I have yet to prove that to be a fact, but they are durable as heck.
They're cheap - one KLIIN sheet can replace over 17 rolls of conventional paper towels. However you do the math, you're winning.
They're fully compostable - just throw them in your backyard compost and they'll fully biodegrade in 28 days... ish.
They're pretty - there are all kinds of colours and prints, so if you're looking to add pieces of flair to your kitchen, these can do the trick.
We've got a combo pack of a large and small KLIIN sheet available on our online store (with FREE SHIPPING), as well as rolls of five that are a bit thinner (also FREE SHIPPING), if that's your thing. Or you can check KLIIN out directly, they've got a ton of options if we don't have exactly what you're looking for.
So, from the team at GREENish to paper towels: thanks for all your hard work and dedication over the years. It's been a slice, and this is a tough decision for everyone, but it's time to move on. Enjoy your retirement package.
-AC