# Going without toilet paper: Meet the adults switching to a reusable cloth **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033 "2014-01-29T14:28:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/122 "2014-02-05T17:03:57Z")
A journalist’s tweet from Sochi: > ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/123 "2014-02-05T17:49:05Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > The more I think about it (thanks, I really needed to be thinking about alternate human waste disopsal systems) this is an issue only in one strata of poor/remote areas. The poorest/most remote most often don’t have running water at all. Human waste is captured in pits, so paper disposal is not an issue. The next strata has some semblance of running water (perhaps a cistern on the roof) but no connection to septic or sewer. When the toilet flushes it empties into a pit dug underneath. Strata next would be those with running water but a less than robust septic/sewer system that cannot handle toilet paper. This is where the toilet side bucket for paper exists. The final strata would be those with running water and robust septic/sewer where paper can be flushed. > > Too much analysis. No, I think you bring up a point that is relevant to all development. There is a point where traditional systems suited for low population areas fail, but modern (for lack of a better word) systems aren’t in reach. These are often the areas of greatest need. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/124 "2014-02-05T19:47:32Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > A journalist’s tweet from Sochi: > > [x.com](https://twitter.com/wyshynski/status/430734034113536000/photo/1) Ha, no lid! Where’s my chicken dinner? And I forgot the 5th strata - those with perfectly functioning, robust sewer/septic systems who make a concious decision to use cloth and revert to the bin solution (hopefully with lid):p. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/125 "2014-02-05T20:36:24Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > To be fair, they have stacks of flannel cloths at hand. Once used, a cloth is put in a hamper for laundering, rather than being flushed as a paper would be. It’s not like they are re-using cloths without laundering them first. All in all, it is no worse than having a diaper hamper and laundering cloth diapers. That being said, would I like to live in a home with a permanent shit-cloth hamper? Nope. This would be my main complaint. I spend a lot of my life pursuing labor saving practices and devices that make my life easier to live and free up more time for the “better things”. Voluntarily adding a new chore cycle of poo-cloth storage, laundry separation, etc is not going to happen. You still have to hot-water wash and detergent the cloths anyway, so I fail to see the green benefit. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/126 "2014-02-05T20:56:48Z")
I think in this case it is more of a thought experiment than something actually meant to save the earth in a substantial way. I don’t think it’s worth a news story or anything, but it can be interesting to step back and think about how much we throw away, and what if any limits there are on what can be reused. In the Peace Corps, I could go a month without filling a garbage can, and the town garbage pile was limited to burned out cooking pots, shredded flip flops and torn plastic bags. Everything else was repaired or reused. You could even get cracked gourds and cheap flip flops sewn up. It still amazed me that here, I often have to empty my garbage nightly, and it’s often full of uneaten food and superfluous packaging. I’m not on a soapbox about waste or saying the developing world is doing it better. But it’s not a bad thing to be a bit mindful of your life now and then. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/127 "2014-02-06T03:33:32Z")
to the folks who only uses toilet paper to clean up after you squeeze one out, try this: clean up with as much toilet paper as you want. when you’re done, clean again with a wet wipe - you’ll be surprised by how dirty the wet wipe will be. a hose to wash up is the cleaner way to go. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/128 "2014-02-06T17:23:12Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I think in this case it is more of a thought experiment than something actually meant to save the earth in a substantial way. I don’t think it’s worth a news story or anything, but it can be interesting to step back and think about how much we throw away, and what if any limits there are on what can be reused. > > In the Peace Corps, I could go a month without filling a garbage can, and the town garbage pile was limited to burned out cooking pots, shredded flip flops and torn plastic bags. Everything else was repaired or reused. You could even get cracked gourds and cheap flip flops sewn up. It still amazed me that here, I often have to empty my garbage nightly, and it’s often full of uneaten food and superfluous packaging. I’m not on a soapbox about waste or saying the developing world is doing it better. But it’s not a bad thing to be a bit mindful of your life now and then. This is why more cities should have municipal compost programs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033.md?page=6)