When drying my hands in a public bathroom, I frequently have the choice of an electric hot-air dryer or paper towels. Since the label on the hot-air dryer proclaims it is environmentally friendly and reduces paper towel waste, I generally use it. But the dryer requires no little electricity, the production of which is often detrimental to the environment. So which is less damaging for the planet? —Marcus Evans, Nottingham, UK
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While electric dryers consume energy, a lot of energy goes into drying hands in the industrialized world no matter what the technology. Here in the U.S. each year we use more than 2.5 million tons of paper towels, a product that takes energy to manufacture, transport to the end user, and haul away afterward. How much energy? Depends. For one thing, are the towels made from virgin or recycled paper? Turning recycled paper into newsprint takes at least 70 percent less energy than virgin material, and presumably the savings in paper towel manufacture are similar.
Despite the uncertainties, many studies claim to show that paper towels made from virgin material are an energy sink. Data developed by Franklin Associates shows that per use, using recycled paper towels requires about 62 percent of the energy expended on virgin towels, standard hand dryers need about 30 percent, and one allegedly high-efficiency hand dryer required only about 10 percent. According to a study conducted by Environmental Resources Management for two manufacturers of hot-air dryers, paper towels required about 64 percent more electricity over five years.
Update 9/11/2018: A new headline was added.
