Cloth Napkins for a Green Tabletop

by Mike Sowden on September 4, 2008 in Shelter

A big part of going green is disposing of disposables. Not the new, eco-friendly biocompostable ranges…the bad old one-shot items that lurk in landfills where no recycling initiative could ever reach. The answer is another question: what came before disposables?

Let’s take napkins. You can buy recycled or compostable varieties – but the best way, which is happily the most stylish, is to use cloth. Cloth napkins add an immediate touch of luxury and sophistication. We loved Michelle Brusegaard’s poppy print napkins at first sight, pictured above – but quality cloth napkins are everywhere, and you can get extra eco-points for going organic.

Cloth napkins are even in your home, masquerading as pieces of material you have no other use for, just waiting to be sewn.

Disposing of other issues:

Urban tumbleweed vs. the tote bag

Wrapping paper vs. furoshiki

Image: Etsy

DISCUSSION

Luanne
September 4th, 2008 at 10:53 AM

As someone who folded about 50 cloth napkins yesterday, I totally agree that it is worth the effort to avoid paper throwaways. Besides, napkins like the poppy print ones here look so pretty on the table!
Mike S.
September 7th, 2008 at 2:24 AM

And taking the functionalist argument, they do a better job. Spill a glass of water, and disposables are useless (unless you use about twenty of them – a shocking waste). You can’t wring out a disposable napkin!
Pursnikitty
December 11th, 2010 at 4:35 PM

After reading about the carbon footprint of cloth diapers vs disposables elsewhere on the site (cloth are only more Eco friendly if you line dry them) I wonder what the carbon footprint of cloth napkins vs paper ones would really be.

Given that most disposable diapers have plastic in them and are much larger than a paper napkin, the napkin would probably have a smaller footprint. Cleaning cloth diapers and napkins would probably be a lot closer to each other. Things like gravy, wine and other stains take a fair bit of energy or detergent to remove.

Food for thought.