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Overview
Hand dryers cost less than paper towels for ongoing usage, require less work, and are more environmentally friendly. Despite the advantages, business owners typically don't install hand dryers in existing buildings unless significant remodeling is undertaken. However, new buildings usually have air dryers, sometimes in addition to a paper towel dispenser.
Significance
As of 2008, a case of 2,400 paper towels is priced around $25 and is good for about 960 hand dryings, according to information from Master Building Specialties. Electrical cost for a hand dryer, in contrast, is about $1.34 for 1,000 dryings. The upfront cost for a hand dryer is the only drawback, and that is quickly recouped. The newer and more efficient hand dryers usually cost between $300 and $400, while a paper towel dispenser costs between $20 and $30. Expenditure annually for a business that spends $600 on 24 cases of paper towels would be less than $40 for air drying. Busy restrooms with numerous stalls can easily go through a case of paper towels a week.
Cost of Waste
People can find it difficult to remove only one multi-fold paper towel from the dispenser. This is particularly common when employees pack the dispenser too full. Sometimes several fall out at once, and the customer typically throws them all into the trash, or lays them on the counter where they get wet and are not used anyway.
Cost of Maintenance
Employees must refill dispensers, pick up litter, empty the garbage containers, and fix plumbing stoppages when people toss paper towels in toilets and leave them in sinks. In addition, there may be costs for storing cases of paper towels and hauling away bags of used paper.
Restroom Traffic
Places which see a lot of restroom traffic all at once benefit from air dryers because dispensers can quickly run out of towels. These businesses include movie theaters, sporting stadiums, concert arenas, fast food restaurants at peak times of day, and school facilities. They also benefit most from the savings on numerous cases of paper towels.
Environmental Considerations
Much more electricity is required for the production of paper towels as well, according to a report from Environmental Building News, even if they are made from recycled material. In addition, fossil fuel is used for logging trucks and equipment when manufacturing paper from wood, as well as for delivery of the finished product. Used paper towels are typically gathered and disposed of in plastic bags, which not only have an upfront cost for the business owner, but also require energy for production and cause issues with landfill waste.
