A new gadget seeking to re-calibrate the toilet habits of Americans and help reduce wasteful and polluting production and consumption, was recently launched in the US.
The Tushy, the new slim-line version of the more traditional and cumbersome bidet, seeks to reduce toilet paper use, replacing it with a good old wash. The principle is essentially that using water, instead of chlorinated and abrasive toilet paper, is cleaner and gentler not just on bums but also the planet.
According to the company’s website, Americans use an average of 57 sheets of toilet paper a day, amounting to some 26.5 billion rolls per year, requiring the pulping of 15 million trees, 1,35 trillion gallons of water, and 253,000 tonnes of chlorine for bleaching. To make just one single roll of toilet paper, the equivalent amount of water and chlorine required for a full load of white laundry is required.
Compare that with the one pint of water that each Tushy use requires, and it is easy to see the environmental potential of this 21st century bidet.
But how does it work? The Tushy is designed with ease-of-installation-and-use in mind. No re-plumbing is required, nor is an additional bidet unit, the Tushy can be fitted to any existing standard toilet. In their installation video the company shows how the process is kids’ play.
The Tushy retails at 69 USD – a price that might be worth paying to turn your toilet into a “personal hygiene wonderland” and make the world a better place.
