not in germany, there are not a "lot" of bad chemicals in recycling paper, since the limit values are very strict. however i don't know how other countries handle this. i will put an edit in the original post.

chemicals in tp are of course a big problem. tp isn't very hygienic anyway. we already decided to build in a bidet as a new project.

the pots are made from the recycled cardboard part in the middle. pfas in tp are used to make the paper more easily flushable, so i doubt it's used in the part that wasn't meant to be flushed anyway. tp however wouldn't be a good material, because it's not sturdy enough and almost everytime bleached. however i saw that tp in some countries doesn't have the sturdy cardboard part in the middle and now i realise that you probably talk about the cardboard in paper towels because we are talking about the same material...

I tried egg cartons one year but the plant roots really struggled to break through the bottom, and my plants were pretty stunted.

Maybe I’ll try paper cartons next time :p

Seriously though, is that not a problem for you? Kinda wonder what you do differently.

Not at the rate I'm pooping

I just did a bunch of seedling starts the same way and it worked perfectly. The cardboard was soft enough for roots to break through.

it works really well. i did it several times. the cardboard will get soaked over time until it nearly decomposes by itself. you will need to be careful when lifting the pot to plant it into the garden, but the cardboard wont be a potent barrier by then anymore. the rest will be eaten by earthworms etc. who really love cardboard.