Between paper towels or an electric air hand dryer, which is the better choice environmentally?

Question

If I am in a public restroom and have the choice which is worse - that paper towel I put in the landfill or the energy I use drying my hands with an air dryer?

Answer 1

i think paper towels are your best choice because even if they aren't recyled they quickly decompose in the landfill.  there is also no shortage of trees.  my uncle is a logger and for every tree he cuts down the washington state government makes him plant five.

the blow dryer doesn't even work.  you have to sit there wasting energy for quite a while until your hands are actually dry.

Answer 2

well if u want to even more environmentally friendly just use ur jeans.

if u are the sanitary type.  i prefer the electric dryer because i rather jus use up a small amount of energy powering that to dry my hands instead of using a disposable paper product which uses resources, gas to transport, and ENERGY to manufacture.

Answer 3

The electric hand dryer, because they do not recycle the paper towels. It is just collected as regular garbage.

Answer 4

your shirt or pants

Answer 5

wipe your hands on your pants

or wave them in the air ,

it looks friendly and costs nothing.

Answer 6

How about the third choice, wet hands. Wet hands don't fill land fills and don't utlize energy. They only stay wet for a minute without a dryer or paper towel anyway. So, it may be a touch inconvienient....but you wouldn't have to worry about filling up landfills or how much energy it takes to blow warm air on your hands.

Answer 7

Paper towels are probably worse because you have to account for manufacturing and shipping the paper towels that get used up on a regular basis.  Imagine how many truck loads of paper towels get used every day.  Not to mention some people opt not to use hand dryers if they're in a hurry, but most people will use paper towels.

Answer 8

Maybe this site will help you.

http://h.webring.com/hub?ring=savetheart...

Answer 9

recycled paper

Answer 10

Using the hand dryer is better. It helps reduce waste in the environment. All public places should install electric hand dryers. If you know of somewhere that doesn't have one tell them today to install one and help save the enviroment!

Answer 11

Both are bad, that's why you rub your hands on your jeans! :-)

Answer 12

Paper towels are biodegradable and to my way of thinking they work better. Hand dryers on the other hand use electricity which if Im not mistaken indirectly pollutes the atmosphere during the production of electricity. Both have good and bad points to them but I think paper towels are the better choice.

Answer 13

Hand dryer is forsure the better choice. You using less paper and reducing waste

The best choce is cloth towles that clean as they rol around them selves. This is saving energy and helping with global warming.

For other work sites, paper towels remain the only practical option. In these instances, workplaces now request towels made with a high percentage of recycled fibers (at least 40% post-consumer). Generally, this environmentally-preferable product costs less than non-recycled paper towels.

hope this helps

Answer 14

It depends on where they get their electric energy from. If it's from coal / gas buring grids you ... then it's a toss up.

It also depends on how much paper you would use as well.

IF you are in a public bathroom they might keep bying and using both regardless.

If enough people stop using the paper towels though they *might* just change and not have it anymore.

however once they have a air blow hand dryer they wont get rid of it.

Usually the hand blow dryer is set for a short time.

This might use less energy if you look at the whole story of the paper towel.

The trees had to get cut, the trash left over was made to make this and that and possibly paper towels (or it might be recycled paper towels) either way there was facilities that use energy to make the paper towels, then they had to packages it which take more energy usage, then they had to transport it... it can go on and on ...

But the hand blow dryer is the same story it's just repeated once for that dryer. They do not have to keep replenishing the dryer, they might have to fix it now and then or get parts now and then, but they don't have to stock up on them everyday and fill recycle places or land fills.

On the other hand, it's more sanitary and healther to dry your hands with paper towels or any clean towel then letting them air or get blown dryed.

If you are really this concerned, and can't make up your mind. Carry a clean hankerchiff / cloth towel with you when you go out in public.

^_^