As this is published, there’s a slightly comical scenario happening in Australia, where supermarkets all over the country are selling out of toilet paper as people panic-buy due to fears around corona virus.

Lucky for us all in this time of toilet paper scarcity, aka #toiletpapergate, there are some pretty awesome alternatives to the traditional over-packaged, plastic-wrapped toilet paper found in supermarkets.

I’ve been using plastic-free toilet paper for years, AND getting it delivered to my door within a couple of days of ordering - umm, that one was a no-brainer waste-free switch!

I recently discovered another Aussie brand offering an eco-friendly toilet paper alternative, Pure Planet Club. Before I dive into why their approach is way better for us and the earth, let’s look at the main things wrong with traditional toilet paper.

WIN A CARTON! Head over to Instagram by 6pm Sunday 8 March 2020 for your chance to win a full 36-roll carton, thanks to Pure Planet Club!

Why we should ditch the supermarket toilet paper, anyway.

Almost all of it comes wrapped in a huge amount of plastic.

Not handy at all if you’re trying to cut down on your waste, particularly single-use plastic. There is of course the option to bring the wrapping back to the supermarket (or leave it there!) to be recycled via the Redcycle program, but I think by now most of us know recycling is not the solution to our over-packaged consumption and shouldn’t be the go-to when making purchasing decisions.

They are (almost) all made using trees! Now this just seems ridiculous to me, given the amount of paper we still use as a society - surely we can at least be recycling office paper into stuff to wipe our butts!

Most of it is brand new, virgin material. Never before-been paper, or anything else. See point above!

The single ‘eco’ supermarket brand is scratchy on the butt. You know that one brand they usually stock that’s got something green on it, possibly wrapped in brown paper and possibly recycled. It’s a great step forward, but I’ve found those ones to be quite scratchy, thin (so you use more) and not that pleasant on the old toosh so you’re unlikely to keep buying it.

Supermarket toilet paper has a strange floral perfume. I’m not sure if anyone has addressed this, but it definitely smells, you know, fake-flowery. And if I’ve learnt anything from the Low Tox Life community, it’s that perfumes contain thousands of chemicals that companies don’t need to identify, and we put those on and around our bodies. No thanks! We still don’t know the full effect of perfumes, so best to steer clear!

there’s a better way for bums and planets everywhere.

Yep, it’s time we all stopped wiping with trees, and non-recycled, perfumed paper wrapped in swathes of single use plastic!

The two main brands shaking up the industry in Australia are Who Gives A Crap and Pure Planet Club. I’ve tried them both now and find them to be an awesome, convenient alternative. Why?

1. We don’t need to wipe our butts with trees. These guys use bamboo (fast growing, low water) and sugar cane waste instead. Hoorah for using a waste product!

2. There’s no plastic in sight. The rolls are shipped individually wrapped in paper which, yes, it’s technically single-use too, but it can be composted and is completely biodegradable. They could also be used for things like art projects and wrapping things as padding (hello, moving house!) before composting. The rolls come in one big cardboard box with ideas to re-purpose them, and both these guys are conscious of the tape they use to seal them too.

3. It’s delivered to my door like a big, friendly present. No need to lug the bulk pack home from the shops. Win!

4. They’re still soft and strong, you know, like we have all been taught to like our toilet paper!

Pure Planet Club are planning to expand their range of personal care products, and already have organic, natural lipbalms that come in compostable cardboard tubes! Keep an eye out as I’ll have some of those to give away soon too!

While Pure Planet Club gifted me the toilet paper and lip balms, I sought them out to try their toilet paper as I fully support the direction of the brand and their ethos. This post is an honest reflection of my experience and I hope you can find a sustainable toilet paper alternative that works for you! - Ash