Air dryers might not be the most effective way to dry your hands, but they are the most effective way to conserve resources. Schools use too much paper. In Minnesota, the only state to conduct a public survey regarding the waste of paper, schools waste 483,520 pounds of paper waste per day. The Earth has lost half its trees since humans started cutting them down, and the Earth can’t afford any more change to its geographical makeup. Air dryers cut down paper waste heavily.
Unfortunately, our air dryers at school are ineffective. Most of the Xlerator hand dryers in school restrooms don’t work, but the ones that do leave hands wet and students are forced to use their clothes as towels instead. Students aren’t inclined to wash their hands when they’ll have to dirty their clothes as a result of it. We need better air dryers. They exist. Dodger Stadium and Staples Center have Dyson Airblades which dry hands beautifully. They are truly God’s gift to hands everywhere. They leave hands feeling warm, soft and accomplished after washing and drying your hands. The issue: Dyson Airblades about triple the cost of the Xlerator hand dryers that we have in place. However, one Airblade can replace two Xlerators, which is the amount of Xlerators in an average restroom at school. When considering student happiness, this is an easy fix, regardless of cost. It seems miniscule, but clean, dry hands are something to get excited about.
Paper towels are the cheap and effective option. They dry hands instantly and they’re a very useful product. But, as stated earlier, they’re awful for the environment and it creates a nuisance for janitors. Teenage boys are hard to clean after. They throw paper towel balls and don’t discard their paper towels where they’re suppose to. It truly is a mess. The bathrooms in the bungalows have paper towels and the floors are covered with ridiculous amounts of used paper towels. It’s a pain for everyone involved and could simply be fixed with effective air dryers.
While I am against paper when it comes to hand drying, I’m not calling for bidets stationed at every toilet, as that would be preposterous. But, because we have so much toilet paper, we should be resourceful by cutting down on paper waste in other areas. 51,000 trees per day are needed to replace the number of paper towels that are thrown away every day. This campus can be paperless if we try to be.