While paper towels are extremely convenient, they are also extremely wasteful and come wrapped in plastic.
Waste Status:
Neither the plastic paper towels are packaged in nor the paper towels themselves are recyclable curbside. It’s also super unlikely that your paper towel can be composted, for more info about that, check out this article.
Alternatives
EASY: Use Rags
Make and use your own rags. I just cut up old stained t-shirts, pants, towels, etc. and have a bin full of them under my sink. After I use them I toss them in the washing machine and can use them over and over again.
Medium: Make your own “unpaper” towel
If you’re worried about the absorbency of rags, there are other options for you:
- Easy: This version uses towels and cotton fabric
- More difficult: This version looks more like classic paper towels. They even have a method for rolling them up so you can use a paper towel holder if you already have one.
Medium: Buy some pre-made reusable “paper” towels
There are tons of these “un-paper” towel products out there made out of a variety of absorbent fabrics/materials. Check some out here.