This post is sponsored by Who Gives A Crap, makers of feel-good, recycled toilet paper.
In a tiny apartment, or anywhere, it’s nice to have a backup supply of toilet paper. Even better when that toilet paper arrives directly to your door, free of plastic, and made from 100% post-consumer paper (like old office papers and textbooks). Who gives a crap, you say? Well, yes. Precisely.
Who Gives A Crap is an Australia-based company selling 100% recycled toilet paper in bulk and shipping it in a plain cardboard box. Living in a small, city apartment, we need to be thoughtful about what we stock up on. There’s a lot that we can’t buy in bulk. When we shop from the bulk section of the grocery store, the quantities we come home with are sized to fit in mason jars and we restock them relatively frequently. Mostly, this doesn’t bother us, and it certainly comes with the territory of living in a small space, but when it comes to keeping a cache of toilet paper for a family of four, the stakes are a bit higher. Running out of lentils doesn’t induce panic, but realizing you have nary a roll and a toddler sitting on the toilet does.
That’s a long way of saying that we’ve started stashing Who Gives A Crap’s brightly wrapped rolls into the corners of every shelf in our linen/craft/utility closet and it’s been one hundred percent worth it.
The toilet paper itself is free from inks, dyes, and scents. It’s 3-ply and soft and, best of all, the extra long roll length means that you’re not replacing your roll every day. We’ve been using the recycled rolls, but for anyone wanting an even more luxurious experience, Who Gives A Crap also makes rolls from forest-friendly 100% bamboo.
More than only supplying an easy, environmentally friendly approach to toilet paper, Who Gives A Crap donates a full 50% of their profits to nonprofit organizations working to “improve access to hygiene, water, and basic sanitation in developing countries.” To date, they’ve donated $1.2 million Aussie dollars—the equivalent of over $950,000. You can learn more about their impact this way.
If you’d like to try a box of Who Gives A Crap toilet paper for yourself, you can use the code TEALEAVES to get $10 off your first Who Gives a Crap order. (No expiration.)
This post was sponsored by Who Gives A Crap. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Reading My Tea Leaves.
37 Comments
I love this! I have been trying to be more sustainable, so I will definitely be checking out this company 🙂
-Jenna <3
I think this is an awesome initiative, and I’m definitely considering trying to convert my roommates to recycled toilet paper, but I can’t help but think that the wrapping is a little bright for your tastes, Erin! 🙂
Totally! Have to get them to do a neutrals set just for me!
The bamboo comes in black & white 😉 We’re devotees!
The bamboo rolls come wrapped in much more palatable black, white and gold paper
Since they wrap every single roll in tissue paper, wouldn’t it be great if there was no obvious branding on it? You could reuse it for gift wrapping and crafts The prints are really cute!
Yes! Faye *has* admittedly been making endless collages with the cut up papers, but agreed that for the grownups that would be great!
You read my mind! I was just wondering about plastic free options for tp yesterday. Thanks for the great advice and for being psychic!
I love the subscription option. Look forward to our first shipment!
Great idea, but is the TP shipped from Australia to the U.S.? (I did not see this info on their website). Shipping across the globe would seem to negate the most of the positive impact on the environment. 🙁
Individual orders aren’t shipped from Australia! Entire containers are shipped here and distributed from within the US.
Yes, Amy, those are the exact thoughts I had / wondered about. Shipping from Australia…. Even if a whole lot is sent in one shipment and then distributed from there, still seems like a lot of shipping. Almost wonder if there is a way to calculate what REALLY is more sustainable. Getting milk, toilet paper, veggies, diapers (cloth laundry service or disposables if that’s what you have to do), etc all coming to your house in separate trucks that stop and idle everywhere, vs. getting all those things delivered from one company (pick your poison).
So many considerations, for sure. So much of what we rely on, whether we see it or not, comes from far-flung places and totally agreed it can be tricky to determine what the *best* choice is. For my part, it feels great to work with a company doing so much to ensure they use 100% post-consumer paper and that puts 50% of their profits back into humanitarian and environmental work.
I love this! But I have so many questions! Mainly, how does it feel on your bum?! I wonder if bamboo is soft or rough. And is it a good thickness?
Eva | http://www.shessobright.com
We’ve only used the recycled paper rolls, not the bamboo, but it’s great! It’s not the most extreme cushiness of the most luxurious toilet paper, but it’s totally soft and pleasant! Not thin or scratchy! Totally pleased.
The bamboo is really nice! I’ve ordered from Who Gives a Crap a few times, but disappointed and put off by the plastic sellotape and plastic wraps used to bond 2 boxes together. Seemed to defeat the purpose somewhat. I’ve sent my comments to the company but not had a response.
Do you mean the packing tape? In lieu of paper packing tape?
Yes, plastic sticky packing tape to secure the box but also that non adhesive super strong plastic stuff that is used to join boxes.
Gotcha. There was a single piece of plastic packing tape on my box used to keep it closed, but no other plastic.
I am highly intrigued to try WGAC TP after reading your article! I did some sleuthing and have now read several reviews, including some comparing WGAC toilet paper to competitors and hands down , this TP is the clear winner. Thanks, Erin, for pointing the way. I also discovered a very clever way to recycle the paper for starting seedlings: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhc2OjDlyhJ/?hl=en
I have long purchased a case of plastic-free Natural Value brand 100% recycled toilet paper. My local grocer sells individual paper-wrapped rolls and is happy to take my order for a case which arrives in about a week. It is made and distributed in the US. It’s recycled without chlorine bleach and free of dyes, inks, and fragrance. A case of 48 rolls costs me around $38. The box is glued closed, no tape. And the paper wrapping is much more subtle!
The WGAC sounds like a good option if you aren’t able to buy a plastic-free case locally. Ask at any store that sells plastic-free 100% recycled toilet paper. If you can buy local, please do! It reduces shipping and supports stores and workers in your community!
Thanks for sharing, Kim!
For years I’ve been happy with Trader Joe’s recycled tp , but I used to work in Guatemala where so many problems could have been solved with mere toilets! So happy to support companies that make our world better. And since I’ve gotten rid of so many superfluous things, there’s plenty of storage space over here . AND my neighbor the ceramic artist will be so happy for the box, and probably will delight in using the paper wrapping, too.
So glad to hear that!
I am looking forward to checking this out. I live in a tiny cottage and the only thing I stock in large qtys is toilet paper.
I’ve been meaning to try WGAC for ages so great to hear the positive comments and thanks for reminding me! Do you know if the discount code works for UK orders?
I believe so!
Ooh – I wondered that too and have been meaning to give them a try – may just be the push I needed!!
£5 discount in the UK – just placed my first order for the recycled
My favorite podcast did an episode on toilet paper last year that I found really eye-opening: https://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/toilet-paper.htm
It talks about the history, America’s weird obsession with TP, and the environmental impact of that obsession. I finished it convinced I must get a bidet.
Thank you for the post! I’m looking forward to ordering. I’m glad that the prices, even for the boxed tissues are reasonable especially for the value the customer and the planet get from it. I like the idea of using the paper the rolls are wrapped in as wrapping paper. I save up all the kraft paper that comes in the packages I get throughout the year so I can use them to wrap at Christmastime. My family is the sort that will find the print funny. Thanks, Erin.
Do these jumbo rolls fit in an average toilet-paper holder?
Ours do!
Thanks for this – great tip! I submitted an order and sent an email to my whole office about this company . Emailing about TP will undoubtedly lead to lots of teasing tomorrow, but anyway…
Individually wrapping each roll seems unnecessary to me – double packaging! Hopefully they will drop that too.
Hi Erin! This post came at the perfect time – I just ran out of toilet paper last night and will be ordering from this company today :). Thanks for sharing and Happy Mother’s Day!
p.s. I am pregnant with my first baby (due in September) so I have been rereading some of your old baby related posts to get ideas on what I need (and what I don’t!).
Re wrapping single rolls versus several together, they say they’d need much stronger paper to hold more rolls, to the point of using more paper (weight wise) for larger packs… As for why wrap at all, this is for hygiene reasons and to keep the rolls dry during transport (I’ve just had my first delivery last week).
Also, bamboo WGAC comes in easier on the eye black and white wrappers.
I enjoyed reading this! We definitely have move to a sustainable life.
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