The debate is usually based on carbon footprint and costs, but for infection control (hospital type environment ) hand dryers have a tendency to be less hygienic than paper towels. There have been experiments carried out and under ultra-violet light the spread of germs caused by the air-flow can be quite extensive.
But both methods have their benefits. Paper towel probably has a greater environmental impact than hand dryers especially when you consider papers towel’s production (water and energy consumption), packaging (energy consumption), transportation (fuel energy consumption) and storage (energy consumption). You should also consider the labor required to replenish the hand towel, removal of the waste from the bathroom, and then the disposal of the waste from site.
With government legislation requiring buildings to be energy rated, especially the new Local Law 87 in NYC which requires energy benchmarking, having hand towels installed means that as a tenant (typically) you won’t pay the electricity costs that would otherwise be passed on if you had hand dryers installed. Increased energy costs will obviously impact on either your tenancy or buildings rating performance.
A LinkedIn contributor conducted a trial and installed dryers vs. paper towel. While the dryers appeared to be the better solution (Dyson were the preferred choice), they observed a small increase in their energy costs. As they were looking to reduce overall energy consumption (and thus carbon footprint) to improve our energy rating, they are now considering staying with paper towel.
From a hygienic point of view, the paper towels are more effective as the paper is fresh and clean. The dryers recirculate air within the bathroom and are therefore not hygienic. Airbone fecal matter is recycled through the air intake, filtering through the filament and germinating until someone starts the dryer again where it is transferred onto your hands.
There are products on the market that are extremely cost effective and energy efficient such as the Dyson airblade which studies show will pay for itself within a 26 month period. They are extremely energy efficient and require little maintenance.
Paper towels can contribute to a significant amount of problems from people putting them into toilets and causing blockages needing to be cleared etc, along with this they are also a fairly costly item that are replenished on a highly regular basis.
The environment should dictate the equipment or facility used or be viewed in such a way as to cover all aspects of the situation and requirements.