Paper towels are used for daily kitchen, bathroom and household cleanup. They soak up liquid right away. But do you know that is kitchen paper towel recyclable? Are hand towels recyclable? And Can all used paper be recycled? In this article, we will explore it.
What is recycled?
What does recycling do? In simple words, recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new products. This is also a collection process that involves the treatment and reuse of waste generated during human activities. Recycling is an important part of circular economy. By recycling waste, resource consumption and environmental pollution can be reduced, achieving sustainable development.
Can paper towels be recycled?
Paper towels can not be recycled. Whether it's a kitchen paper towel roll or hand towel, the composition of stains is complex and the humidity is high. If recycled, not only are the transportation, separation, and cleaning processes complex, but the cost is also high. From the perspective of economy and operability, they will not be recycled or reused, but rather being burned or buried.
Secondly, paper towels manufacturers produce the paper towels that are used from smaller wood fibers. So it is very difficult to break it down again to try to recycle.
Are brown paper towels recyclable?
Brown paper towels are not recyclable. Their specific purpose, to clean or wipe up messes, means the products are always contaminated with residue, food waste, or cleaning chemicals. This is why even brown paper towels should be tossed in the compost or trash instead of the recycling bin.
Are paper napkins recyclable?
No, paper napkins are not recyclable. They contain other residues, so they are not recycled. They are generally treated with composting.
Are paper plates recyclable?
No, paper plates are not recyclable. For thermal insulation and water leakage prevention, the inner layer of these paper plates is specially coated with a layer of polyethylene plastic film, which is extremely difficult to separate. Therefore, even if it is clean and unused, it cannot be recycled.
Can paper towels be composted?
Yes. All paper towels can be composted except the towels that cleaned up toxic materials messes or viruses. They can compost well and break down quickly. And composting paper towels can create nutrient-rich soil. So please put these paper towels in the compost bin.
Paper towels are similar to any other paper product when it comes to composting. If you have paper towels, they are perfectly safe for composting, and are a nitrogen-rich organic material that is much better off in a composting bin than filling up a landfill. As with most compostable items, shredding, cutting, or tearing your paper towels into small pieces will help accelerate the decomposition process. To learn more, click here.
What types of paper can not be recycled?
Some paper products can not be recycled, like toilet paper, napkin, paper towel, paper plate and more.
Carbon paper
Carbon paper is a type of paper with an acidic coloring agent, it can not be recycled.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is an indoor decoration material used for mounting walls. Most printed wallpaper inks are difficult to recycle, and waste wallpaper is often contaminated with a large amount of dust or other pollutants, making it impossible to recycle. But wallpaper does not require special treatment and can be incinerated together with household waste.
Milk box
Milk box that have been consumed and have not been further processed are "contaminated", which greatly reduces the recycling value of milk box.
What types of paper can be recycled?
Most of the paper in our work and life can be recycled and reused, like newspapers, cardboard boxes, wasted books and more.
Newspapers
Newspapers are one of the common recyclable paper products. Due to the fact that newsprint made from pure wood pulp is easily broken under pressure, temperature difference, and other conditions, recycling waste newspapers into recycled paper can reduce wood harvesting and reduce environmental pollution caused by papermaking.
Cardboard boxes
Abandoned cardboard boxes are commonly used logistics packaging materials in industries such as express delivery, logistics, and warehousing, and can be recycled. Making recycled cardboard boxes can reduce wood consumption and save a lot of water and energy required for new paper manufacturing.
Wasted books
Wasted books can also be treated as recyclable paper. The paper in books generally comes from lightweight cardboard used in printing factories, which does not contain serious pollutants. After being recycled, it can be made into high-quality recycled paper and used to make various books, notebooks, magazines, etc.
Why is recycling important?
Well, instead of making an entirely new item each time, we need something like plastic jugs, bottles and cardboard. With recycling we can use plastic jugs, bottles and cardboard and make new things. Used plastic jugs that hold things like milk can be cleaned, melted down and made into new jugs. Glass bottles can be crushed and melted and then formed into new glass bottles. Cardboard can be chopped up, washed and heated to making things like cereal boxes, paper towel and tissues. Recycling also protects natural resources like trees, minerals and oil. For example, most paper is made from trees. But if old paper is recycled, fewer trees are needed to create new paper.
Recycling also uses less energy. It reduces pollution in the air, water and land, which protects the environment and the earth.
