We’ve just asked you to contemplate giving up your fridge; now how about the t.p.?

We’re kidding, of course. And if I told you that Greenpeace wants you to recycle tissues and toilet paper, you”Ëœd probably say “Ëœthat”Ëœs gross!’ But that’s only because you’ve taken the concept at face value. Greenpeace isn’t really asking you to re-use tissues and toilet paper. What they are asking is that when purchasing household paper products, why not choose ones that are recycled?

To make this easier for you to do, Greenpeace has put together a credit card sized Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide that you can download and print (on recycled computer paper) to use as a reference when you are out shopping.

The guide rates facial tissues, paper towels, toilet paper, and paper napkins based on the following important environmental benchmarks: that they are made from 100 percent overall recycled content, a minimum of which is 50 percent post-consumer recycled content and that they are not bleached with chlorine or toxic chlorine compounds.

Using these benchmarks, the guide gives a thumbs up to Green Forest, Natural Value, and Seventh Generation brands and a thumbs down rating to Kleenex, Cottonelle Charmin, and Angel Soft.

Of course, you could always go one better and use cloth hankies and old rags instead of tissues and paper towels.

Image: Samantha Celera

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