Can You Compost Paper Towels?

Paper towels can be composted in most cases, and they make a useful brown material for the pile. They break down readily, help balance the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio when added alongside kitchen scraps, and represent a meaningful waste stream for households that use them heavily. The important qualification is what the paper towels were used to clean.

Paper Towels That Are Safe to Compost

Paper towels used to dry hands, wipe up water, clean fruits and vegetables, pat dry meat (the paper itself, not the meat), and mop up plant-based food spills are all safe additions to a compost pile. These towels are essentially moist paper with minor organic residue, and they break down quickly in an active pile.

Paper towels soaked in fruit juice, coffee, or vegetable-based cooking liquids are fine. Paper towels used to strain broth or blot cooked vegetables are fine. These materials add carbon and some additional moisture to the pile.

Paper Towels to Avoid Composting

Paper towels used with harsh cleaning chemicals, disinfectants, bleach solutions, or strong degreasers should not go in a compost pile. These chemicals can persist in the pile and may harm the microbial community or introduce compounds you do not want in your finished compost. The same applies to paper towels used with products containing synthetic fragrances and colorants at high concentrations.

Paper towels used to wipe up large amounts of meat drippings, frying oil, or other animal fats are better excluded from a home pile for the same pest-risk reasons that apply to meat and dairy generally.

Bleached vs Unbleached Paper Towels

Most conventional paper towels are chlorine-bleached, and there has been some concern about chlorine compounds (dioxins, furans) in bleached paper. Modern chlorine-free bleaching processes have largely replaced elemental chlorine bleaching, and the residual compound levels in standard paper towels are not considered a meaningful composting risk. Unbleached, natural paper towels are the cleanest option if you prefer to minimize synthetic inputs entirely, but standard bleached paper towels in household quantities are an acceptable addition.

How to Add Paper Towels

Tear or crumple paper towels before adding them to increase surface area and reduce the tendency to mat in the pile. Adding them in small batches with each deposit of kitchen scraps works well. Wet paper towels can be layered between dry materials. Very dry paper towels can be dampened slightly to start microbial activity.