The longevity of a hand dryer is seven to ten years. Compared to paper towels, many hand dryers have a lower environmental impact. A hand dryer emits 0.02 pounds of greenhouse gas in total. Jet hand dryers that use less energy emit 0.088 pounds per use.

For their use, paper towels have an environmental impact during manufacturing, transportation, and scrapping. Paper towels have a carbon footprint than hand dryers because they need to be refilled and disposed of more frequently. Two paper towels produce about 0.123 pounds of greenhouse gases, more than five times what uses a hand dryer.  

Cost Comparison: Hand Dryers vs. Paper Towels

For many, the most important consideration is when selecting paper towels or a hand dryer for a project. Paper towels can cost up to 20 times more than a cool jet air hand dryer and up to three times more per month than warm air hand dryers (Science-Based Medicine, 2018). Paper towels may also be flushed down the toilet, which increases the risk of clogging and high plumbing expenses. However, consider the initial costs and maintenance of hand dryers, which are unrelated to paper towel costs.

It could be alluring to reach for some paper towels

Paper towel dispensers are unavoidably present in the restrooms throughout the SFU campus. While it might be tempting to grab a few paper towels to avoid passing your hands through an extremely noisy and fast hand dryer for ten seconds, hand dryers primarily emit carbon dioxide due to electricity consumption.

Paper towels released 162% more carbon dioxide than a standard hand dryer in a study that used Ontario’s energy grid, which consists of hydroelectricity and nuclear power. Leaving the paper in its place should result in a significant reduction in carbon emissions in Metro Vancouver, where 95% of our electricity comes from hydroelectricity (Clean Energy BC, 2018), and on campus, where many hand dryers are ultra-rapid and more efficient.

The concept of sustainability involves several elements

Apart from the economic and environmental aspects, human and social factors also come into play. The switch to electric hand dryers improves campus engagement for faculty, staff, and students while leaving a lasting effect on UNH. If students do not act on current issues, there will likely be fewer opportunities for engagement in the future. Every student can influence this sustainability issue through their daily actions.

The Hygiene of Hand Dryers vs. Paper Towels

However, a large portion of this is due to improper hand dryer drying. Many people don’t give themselves time to dry hands with a hand dryer, hands damp and more vulnerable to bacteria and germs. Paper towels have absorbed moisture, which means that hands have dried faster using this technique, decreasing the spread of bacteria and viruses. Therefore, hands dried by a hand dryer for an amount of time will be as dry as hands dried by paper towels, reducing transmissions.

In conclusion

These three elements work together to determine which hand-drying technique is environmentally friendly in the short term. However, if you want to help hand dryers progress, it’s preferable to buy paper towels. Long-term environmental sustainability depends on technological advancements and hand dryer efficiency.