No. Not so much. Local recycling centers will not accept products with food grease on them. There’s also some concern about germs and such. PLUS many paper towel products are made with some sort of recycled fiber which shorten the same said fibers and makes them harder to recycle.

Better choices than paper towels…

Cloth napkins for meals.
Rags, old tee-shirts, old socks, microfiber towels, and so on for cleaning.
A plate for microwaving foods – you know how many times I see folks put food on a flipping paper towel then microwave it? It’s such a waste.

IF you must purchase paper towels, only …read more

Seventh Generation recently sent me a load of eco-products to test out. Of course I’ll be posting some reviews soon, but first we should take a look at the company as a whole, plus their eco-perks.

BASICS:
Seventh Generation is arguably one of the most well-known green companies around. They were one of the first self-declared “socially responsible” companies and have been around for 20 years. The company makes a slew of products, some that are very green and some that could be greener, but all in all, they offer some great product choices for green households in various categories…

Laundry Products
Dishwashing …read more

All paper comes from some sort of fiber. Currently, according to the EPA, the two most common fibers used for making paper include wood from trees or from recycled paper products. The recycled content paper is a good deal, but paper made from wood is not eco-friendly. In fact, the EPA notes that about half of the trees cut down each year are directly used for paper products. What’s worse is that while paper products account for 33% of all materials in the municipal waste stream Americans are only recycling about 55% of that paper.

Basically – tree made paper is …read more

According to the Center for American Progress, paper, although terribly easy to recycle, accounts for 25 % of landfill waste and that if everyone in the USA alone cut office paper use by just 10 percent, “It would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases—the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road.”
You can green your own paper use oh so easily by doing the following…

First of all you should green audit your trash at home or at work to make sure you’re recycling enough. A green paper / trash audit should let you know if you’re …read more

Greenpeace sent me this video link that you might enjoy.
If you’re not interested in cutting down forests just to blow your nose, then Greenpeace’s Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide, can help you make smarter tissue choices. The credit card-sized shopping guide, can help you find greener household paper products, such as facial tissues, paper towels, toilet paper, and paper napkins.

In the guide Greenpeace gives a thumbs up to companies like Green Forest, Natural Value and Seventh Generation. Kleenex (manufactured by Kimberly–Clark) was given an “avoid” score along with Charmin and Angel Soft.
The products recommended in the paper guide must …read more

Greenpeace has an idea about how to make Kimberly-Clark listen up about using products that come from unsustainable sources, and they want your help. It’s called the Kleenex Free School Project and the goal is to tell the world’s biggest tissue manufacturer, loud and clear from the many little noses that need tissues, to use sustainable-sourced paper.
From Greenpeace:
Every time you blow your nose with Kleenex tissue, you’re blowing away an ancient forest. And every time you buy Scott or Cottonelle at the store, you’re flushing old growth trees down the toilet.
Most of the pulp Kimberly-Clark uses for its disposable tissue …read more