Are tissues, paper towels, and napkins recyclable?

No. Tissues and paper towels are not recyclable because they may have organic matter on them: food, germs, mold, etc, that will contaminate other items to be recycled. Another reason not to recycle paper towels and tissues is that paper can be recycled only so many times. Paper fiber gets shorter each time it's recycled, and by the time it's towel or tissue, the fiber is pretty short—this is the last stop in the recycling process. To help sustain the market for recycled paper, buy products with post-consumer recycled content. Some offerings from Office Depot's ECAT site: • Office Depot® Recycled Paper Towels, Roll Of 85 Towels, Case Of 6 Rolls, Item # 507554; • Office Depot® Brand Lunch Napkins, 11 3/10" x 12 3/4", White, Pack Of 400 Item # 508338. For more information, see Buy green.  more

No. Tissues and paper towels are not recyclable because they may have organic matter on them: food, germs, mold, etc, that will contaminate other items to be recycled. Another reason not to recycle paper towels and tissues is that paper can be recycled only so many times. Paper fiber gets shorter each time it's recycled, and by the time it's towel or tissue, the fiber is pretty short—this is the last stop in the recycling process. To help sustain the market for recycled paper, buy products with post-consumer recycled content. Some offerings from Office Depot's ECAT site: • Office Depot® Recycled Paper Towels, Roll Of 85 Towels, Case Of 6 Rolls, Item # 507554; • Office Depot® Brand Lunch Napkins, 11 3/10" x 12 3/4", White, Pack Of 400 Item # 508338. For more information, see Buy green.  more