To the Editor:
Your article “11 Ways to Reduce Waste” has some good ideas. But I take issue with the one about paper towels. Use cotton kitchen towels instead? What about the cost to the environment to wash them? Production of laundry soap; the production of the electricity/oil/gas for running the washing machine and (for those without enough space to hang them up to dry) the dryer; and the usage of water, to do the laundry, ending up dirty in the sewers. All are necessary to keep the cloth towels hygienic.
Paper towels should be used judiciously, to be sure, but they do have a place in an environmentally friendly home.
Jerry Harris
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor should be less than 300 words and The Southeast Examiner reserves the right to edit them for length or content.