Eco-friendly Features of Toilets and Bidets
February 7th, 2013
Whenever an average American goes to a foreign country such as those in Latin America, Europe, Eastern Asia and China, they marvel at the small toilet-like apparatus standing right next to the traditional toilet bowl seat.
Conversely, when foreign visitors come to the United States, they eagerly look for a bidet seat and not finding one, find themselves at a loss of words as to why they virtually do not exist in the United States.
A quick analysis of the toilet’s positive and negative features are first in order.
Toilet Paper and Water Consumption
While toilets did not make their public debut until 1890, they fast caught on in this country. Unfortunately, an insatiable consumption of paper and water ensued and continues to this day.
Moreover, now adding to the issue of energy conservation is a politically-charged debate going on even in the halls of Congress concerning this matter. It goes like this: “just how much water should a normal, family-sized toilet be allowed to flush away?
In general, the production process in the making of a single roll of sanitary paper easily consumes about 37 gallons of water. Furthermore, average Americans use an approximate amount of 57 sheets of sanitary paper a day. This, dear ones, translates into approximately 36.5 billion rolls annually.
Although the use of recycled toilet paper is now being vigorously promoted by green interests, for many people, supplies of such paper is unappealing due to its perceived harsh, scratching texture.
Then, there is the problematic issue of personal hygiene as toilet paper does not truly take away all residual body odor or bacteria. Generally, people resort to taking a daily shower or two in order to eliminate lingering odors throughout the day.
The Bidet
Essentially, a Bidet is a smaller-sized toilet that emits water spurts to the lower regions of the body. Bidets were never meant to replace the toilet; however, having a bidet right next to the toilet simply enhances the cleansing process in a more efficient and convenient manner. A bar of soap and a hand or washcloth are the instruments of choice for scrubbing and simply rinsing off. They can’t be beaten for a quick, easy refreshing during the day!
While any adverse environmental impact of using a bidet is minimal, to say the least, a bidet’s savings can be readily seen in considerable savings of paper during one year. True, this savings depends largely on the size of the family and bidet model; however, it is simply a matter of time until their use catches on with American consumers.








