Can I recycle used paper towels?

So, products like paper napkins, paper towels, tissues, and anything else that might have come into contact with food, grease, or your filthy, filthy mouth (or any bodily fluids, really) should be trashed entirely to reduce the likelihood of an entire batch of recyclable paper products being contaminated by one greasy paper towel. read more

Paper towels cannot be recycled the way other paper products can. They are generally already made of recycled paper products, and as the products get reused, the fibers get continuously shorter. Recycling paper towels would also raise concerns of bacteria and food waste, as they are used to clean up messes. read more

It is really hard to wash off gunk from paper towels, especially if there is oil/grease. And it is also gross. It might even mess up the recycling. And sorting workers might not even find it. It is the same as the fact you shouldn’t recycle used tissues (Gross). Just throw them in the trash, and paper towels are already highly biodegradable. read more