In the pursuit of saving the environment, there has been a lot of discourse about whether a bathroom hand dryer is a more environmentally friendly option over paper towels. Both of them have their distinct advantages for the environment, so there is a lot of speculation that has to be made before coming to a conclusion.
By considering the manufacturing process, costs, waste and spreading of germs, professionals deduced that bathroom hand dryers are better environmentally friendly. They are not only better for the environment but also highly cost-efficient and low maintenance, helping you to avoid the hassle of ensuring that your bathrooms are always refilled with paper towels. This article will show you how bathroom dryers are more environmentally friendly than paper towels.
Environmental Factors
It is reported that the paper towels market is a $2.5 billion industry, with Americans alone using 270 million trees’ worth of paper towels each year for domestic and commercial purposes. There are many environmental factors to note when talking about paper towels and hand dryers. There are materials and energy used during the manufacturing process, transportation systems and carbon dioxide emissions before they reach the end-user. Finally, there is the energy used by air dryers and the energy used to dispose of the amount of paper towels used.
The MIT study commissioned by Dyson claims that the newer brands of air dryers have the least impact on the environment. The study deduced that paper towels require more energy in production, transportation and disposal. On the other hand, this statement is not nearly the same for air dryers, since it does not need a calculation for per usage situations.
Energy
If, in some cases, we exclude the transportation costs and carbon dioxide emissions from suppliers to users, paper towels still tend to be more wasteful than hand dryers. Studies show that paper towels use more energy than the air dryers we typically use in public bathrooms.
Luckily, the newer air dryers that have reached the market provide hot, high-speed air that will dry your hands in a whopping 12 to 15 seconds at most, which is nearly the same time required to dry your hands while using paper towels thoroughly. They also use less energy per drying time, so they save costs as well as helping the environment.
Apart from the disposal of paper towels, they require much more energy during the production process, with the involvement of trees and recycling facilities. Overall, the cutting down of trees, shipment and disposal all add to the energy usage costs.
Hygiene
While older models of air dryers may have threatened your hygiene, technology has found newer and more advanced ways to tackle this issue and ensure that air dryers are way ahead in energy conservation and cleanliness. More recent and bigger models are hitting the market, proving to be a massive improvement for personal hygiene. These newer air dryers that have been launched are being actively used in food preparation areas. This is a breakthrough for other air dryers, ensuring that they can make their way for multiple commercial uses.
Besides, those who are highly cautious about their hygiene should focus more on washing their hands thoroughly rather than just the drying. This is because unclean hands are the most significant breeding ground for germs. Therefore, a thorough wash is the most critical step to preventing as many germs as possible.
Studies have proven that paper towels are a more significant threat to the environment than air dryers due to the higher energy usage required from cutting down trees, production, transportation and disposal. Air dryers are manufactured and transported much less than paper towels, allowing less carbon dioxide emissions to be released into the air. Energy usage is also much lower due to the manufacturing costs and because newer models of air dryers tend to be more energy efficient. Air dryers may stir a slight amount of doubt in those worried about hygiene, but these fears can be managed by thoroughly washing your hands. Technology is also making air dryers which allow for better cleanliness. Therefore, it is proven that an air dryer is the more environmentally friendly, energy-efficient option available.
We hope this article helped provide you with enough insight about how air dryers are the more environmentally friendly option for your bathrooms. Thank you for reading!
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