It's definately new this time and does make a difference. (Nouvelle Soft Recycled Toilet Roll)

Member Name: QueenElf

Product:	Nouvelle Soft Recycled Toilet Roll
Date:	14/03/08 (245 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lasts ages, and is soft on the skin.

Disadvantages: Rarely on Bogoff.

It's Definately new this time and does make a difference.

However boring the topic might seem to be to other people, none of us can do without toilet paper nowadays, unless you want to go back to the days of cut up newspaper? And yes, I do remember those days, just about before we got that awful shiny paper that was as much use as a twig in a snowstorm.
I'm continuously looking for the best bargain in toilet paper and trying to be environmentally friendly at the same time. I do sincerely care about recycling and I'm proud to say that I never have any overflowing dustbins, even though our council only do fortnightly collections. In fact I have two dustbins. One for things I cannot recycle and one for either garden waste or cardboard of any variety. With fortnightly collections I have become much more aware of the amount of toilet rolls I actually use. The cardboard centres go straight into my bin and I was horrified to see how many I use in just a fortnight. Then there's the cost, which can be prohibitive with so many brands on the market.
I've tried the cheap kind from supermarkets and my local pound shop, but cheap don't mean good value.
Now women will (in most cases), admit to using toilet paper for just about everything. Naturally for its intended use, but also as a tissue to blow your nose, something to wipe off your make-up and to wipe the fingers of young children, mop up tears from a suffering friend, I'm sure you get the picture.
The prices of toilet paper (or toilet tissue if we are being very genteel), can be staggering, so I do my homework and choose the ones that last the longest, with the added factor of being recycled. I reckon I could easily pass a test in a competition to judge the make of said products.

I did discover the Nouvelle brand some years ago when it was a four-pack that you buy in the local pound shop. I found it lasted quite well, but it just didn't have the softness that I wanted. There are many reasons for wanting this, and not just to keep up with the next-door neighbours. I had my mother living with me then and she needed soft tissue since she was more or less on the loo a lot of the time. My other concern was ease of use, some toilet tissues are hell to get open. Then there's the thickness and absorption. Like other people I also suffer from piles (it's no joke by the way). So softness, ease of use, price etc all comes into the equation.

A month back there was an offer on at my local Somerfield store with a 12 roll pack of Nouvelle for just £2.49, instead of £4.99. I didn't even bother reading the blurb, I picked it up and tucked it under my arm. (they didn't have a carrier back big enough to fit it.)
At a 50% reduction I didn't think much of what I was buying, most toilet rolls are basically the same anyway. I did take some notice of the pack when I staggered back home with my normal shopping and this gigantic parcel under my arm. Slumping into my chair I wondered whether I was getting a bargain or being naïve enough to fall for the size of the packaging.
My first surprise was the thin packaging that covered the twelve rolls. My second that even this flighty bit of polythene was indeed recyclable. Then I read that the rolls themselves were 100% recycled. I applauded the idea and had a bit of a giggle over that recycling tag.
There was a lot of information on the packaging, enough to keep me reading for about fifteen minutes.
This brand also supports the Woodland Trust (I'm a member of this excellent organisation). As well as that it supports Encams, the environmental awareness campaign. I'm feeling really good about my purchase now, but I still haven't tried the product. Cheap doesn't equate with how much mileage you get out of the rolls.

I won't bore you with any more packaging details, except for the fact that there is a box that offers this information. :-
12 rolls of two ply tissue, average 225 sheets per roll. Average roll length is 28.1metre. I checked this against another higher quality product and found it to be almost the same. In fact it was a bit longer. So I had bought a product that was worth almost three times the price of a similar high quality brand.
When my last roll of the best stuff was finished I opened the Nouvelle brand and made sure it had a thorough testing. The slightly padded paper was soft and easy to rip off from the roll, without any loose ends trailing behind. (Don't you just hate that?)
Three sheets were enough for my purpose.
To any male readers - don't even attempt to go there. Women have much more problems with cross-infection than men do.
I had a nose-bleed the next day....I get a few of these with my blood pressure problems. I ripped off a length of the roll and it absorbed the blood without any problems.
I also used a bit to remove my eye make-up and once again I only needed a single sheet.

The real test was in how long it lasted. A cheap brand of the same quantity would have lasted about ten days maximum. A more expensive brand would have maybe lasted two weeks. However, my Nouvelle bargain lasted for almost three weeks. I couldn't believe it. I'd not only saved myself about £5, but I was doing something to help the environment. Sadly the offer lasted less than the product, but I don't mind paying the full price for something that lasts and is also soft to touch.
I did look up a couple of the websites mentioned on the packaging. The Nouvelle one leads into the Woodland trust and is lovely for children to watch. My grandson Jack was visiting me at the time and although he's not yet three he loved the site with it's animals peeking out from behind trees and bushes.
Do I recommend this? Yes, it's changed so much and I love a bargain. In fact I can honestly say that more people should look around for offers on something we cannot do without. If you want to check this out for yourselves then these are the sites.:-

www.trust-nouvelle.co.uk.

www.nouvillerecycling.co.uk.

©Lisa Fuller March 2008.

Summary: The best of today's recycled toilet rolls.