What the UK Can Learn From the TRNC – No. 1

Number one – Toilet Paper

Readers Mail….
From A.A. Wisley….

The earliest experience of toilet paper, that I can remember, was on a visit to the “soil house” of my grandparents. On the back of the door of this little “house” hung a neat batch of paper squares cut from a newspaper and threaded in one corner onto a piece of string. Something to read whilst contemplating nature. Grandpa clearly already knew about recycling. Not long after, the loo experience improved with rolls or boxes of “Bronco paper”.

For those too young to have heard of this advance in hygiene, Bronco paper had a strong similarity with very thin greaseproof paper. It was very boring to read. What a marvel it was, years later, when the likes of Andrex brought a soft, absorbent but text free, tissue to clear away the colonic residues.

A little while ago here, in Cyprus, I injured my shoulder and as a result I was not able to deploy toilet paper for its intended purpose. That was when I discovered the use of the second tap, beside the WC, for its bidet function. Why, I thought, had I not used this before. It provides a refreshing jolt and gives a better cleansing result too. All around there was the evidence that Cypriots had been using this method of personal hygiene for years. It was clearly the way for me “to go” from then on.

Using the bidet eliminates, almost entirely, the need for toilet paper except, perhaps, to dry oneself then discarding this paper towel into a bin. No paper need be flushed away to block the public sewers or septic tank. The immense “paper-bergs”, for which the London drainage system is infamous, would be a thing of the past.

Apparently the UK consumes about 5.5 million trees in the production of loo rolls. Worldwide the number of trees used must be astronomical. With the old fashioned “One wipe then down the pipe”, you ignored the enormous environmental toll.

Thank you TRNC, I have learned something useful from you. I hope that anyone reading this will have also learned how a simple change of behaviour can improve their personal hygiene as well as benefiting the environment.

Let us know what else the TRNC can teach the UK.