Can you compost white tissues and napkins?

Question

Are there chemicals in paper products that you can't compost?

If you clean up a food spill ( no milk or meat), can you send the paper towel into the bin?

Answer 1

I just had two composters delivered to my home last week and the man was kind enough to set them up, gave me a large bag of his special "Leaf mold" and told me what I could and could not put into the composter for best results.  He told me I can use any paper products, newspaper, paper  towels, napkins (not the feminine ones though!).  He advised against using the glossy advertising papers though, saying while most are vegetable dyes these days, that it was more likely to contain a plasticized coating to keep them fresh longer and for coupons, and advised I try to avoid them if wanting a totally organic compost (which I do).   He advised against adding meats, bones and cooked items, but said the reason for doing that was simply to keep down on attracting rodents (I prefer no meats or bones in my compost).  You can go online and list "compost" or "composting items" and get lists of items you can or shouldn't include.  He did advise when using paper items to tear the up a bit so they would break down easier and quicker.  He said they have found totally intact newspapers and plates in landfills that have been buried for 40 years and because they were thrown in whole, could not break down.  Hope this helps you!  Good luck being GREENER!

Answer 2

Anything organic can be compost...and paper falls into that category. The only paper I would not compost is those colored ads...the colored ink in most of those are toxic.