What Are Compostable Paper Towels? | NZ Business Guide
What Are Compostable Paper Towels? A Guide for NZ Businesses
Businesses throughout New Zealand are looking for practical ways to reduce waste and make more sustainable purchasing decisions.
Commercial washrooms are one area where relatively small purchasing choices can add up. Paper hand towels are consumed every day in offices, schools, hospitality businesses, healthcare facilities, gyms and other workplaces.
One option businesses may encounter is compostable paper towels.
But what does compostable actually mean? Are all paper towels compostable? And what needs to happen after a towel has been used for the environmental benefit to be realised?
Here's what businesses should know.
What Are Compostable Paper Towels?
Compostable paper towels are paper hand towels that are suitable for breaking down through an appropriate composting process rather than remaining as long-term waste.
However, the word compostable needs to be understood in context.
A compostable product only provides the potential benefit of composting if it actually enters an appropriate waste stream after use.
If a compostable paper towel is simply placed in general rubbish and sent to landfill, the business hasn't necessarily achieved the same outcome as having the towel collected and processed through an appropriate composting system.
So when considering compostable paper towels, it's useful to think about both:
What is the towel made from?
and
What happens to it after it has been used?
What Are HD Best Compostable Paper Towels Made From?
Hygiene Direct's HD Best Compostable Slimfold Paper Towels are made from recycled kraft paper.
Using recycled fibre provides businesses with an alternative to paper towels manufactured entirely from virgin fibre.
The towels are also supplied with plastic-free packaging, including paper tape on the outer carton.
This means businesses can address more than one aspect of their paper towel purchasing: the paper itself and the packaging it arrives in.
Why Use Recycled Paper?
Recycled paper makes use of fibre that has already been through a previous life cycle rather than relying entirely on new virgin fibre.
For a commercial workplace consuming thousands of paper towels, choosing a recycled paper product can therefore become part of a broader sustainable procurement strategy.
But recycled content is only one consideration.
Businesses can also look at:
- Packaging
- Towel consumption
- Dispenser design
- Waste separation
- Disposal method
- Carton quantities
- Delivery efficiency
A genuinely more sustainable washroom isn't created by one environmental claim. It's usually the result of improving several parts of the system.
Can Compostable Paper Towels Go in the Compost?
Potentially, but don't assume every composting service will accept used paper hand towels.
Requirements can differ between composting facilities and waste collection services.
There can also be contamination considerations depending on what the towel has been used for.
If your business wants to introduce a paper towel composting programme, check with your waste or composting provider about what they will accept and how used towels need to be separated.
We'll look at this question in more detail in our related article Can Used Paper Towels Be Composted?
What Happens If Compostable Paper Towels Go to Landfill?
This is an important question because simply buying something labelled compostable doesn't guarantee that it will actually be composted.
If used towels are placed into general waste, they will normally follow the same waste stream as the rest of that rubbish.
That's why businesses wanting to gain the full benefit of compostable products should consider what happens after the product has been used.
Providing clearly identified waste collection and working with an appropriate composting provider can be just as important as choosing the towel itself.
What Does Plastic-Free Packaging Mean?
Packaging is another area worth considering when comparing commercial paper towels.
Hygiene Direct's HD Best Compostable Slimfold Paper Towels are supplied without plastic packaging, right down to the paper tape used to seal the carton.
For businesses purchasing cartons of paper products throughout the year, eliminating unnecessary plastic packaging can help reduce the amount of plastic entering the workplace in the first place.
This is part of Hygiene Direct's broader move towards Plastic Packaging Free paper products.
We'll look at this in more detail in Plastic-Free Paper Towels: How to Reduce Washroom Packaging Waste.
Are Compostable Paper Towels Suitable for Commercial Washrooms?
Yes. Compostable paper towels can be a practical option for a wide range of commercial and workplace washrooms.
Applications can include:
- Offices and commercial buildings
- Schools and education facilities
- Hospitality businesses
- Commercial kitchens and staff areas
- Healthcare and community facilities
- Manufacturing workplaces
- Gyms and recreation facilities
- Businesses with sustainability programmes
The important thing is to choose a towel that works effectively with the dispenser and washroom environment as well as meeting the organisation's sustainability objectives.
What Are Slimfold Paper Towels?
Slimfold paper towels are folded paper hand towels designed to fit compatible slimfold dispensers.
Their compact folded format makes them particularly useful in commercial washrooms where businesses want a practical hand-drying system without requiring an unnecessarily large dispenser.
Hygiene Direct's HD Best Compostable Slimfold Paper Towels contain 200 sheets per pack and 20 packs per carton, providing 4,000 paper towels per carton.
Reducing Paper Towel Consumption
Choosing a more sustainable paper towel is useful, but businesses should also consider how many towels are being consumed.
A well-designed dispenser can help control presentation and encourage users to take an appropriate quantity rather than grabbing a large handful of towels.
Reducing unnecessary consumption can mean:
less paper used + less waste produced + fewer cartons purchased.
For a busy workplace, those savings can accumulate throughout the year.
Building a More Sustainable Commercial Washroom
Paper towels are only one component of a commercial washroom.
Businesses wanting to improve washroom sustainability can also consider:
- Recycled or alternative-fibre toilet paper
- Recycled plastic dispensers
- Plastic-packaging-free paper products
- Controlled dispensing
- Refillable soap systems
- Waste separation
- Composting where appropriate
- Reducing unnecessary product consumption
We'll explore this more fully in How to Make Your Commercial Washroom More Sustainable.
HD Best Compostable Slimfold Paper Towels
For businesses looking for a practical commercial paper towel with strong sustainability credentials, Hygiene Direct supplies HD Best Compostable Slimfold Paper Towels.
Features include:
- Made from recycled kraft paper
- Compostable
- Plastic-free packaging
- Paper tape used on the outer carton
- 1-ply construction
- Slimfold format
- 200 sheets per pack
- 20 packs per carton
- 4,000 sheets per carton
- Suitable for commercial and workplace washrooms
Shop HD Best Compostable Slimfold Paper Towels
If you're looking to make your workplace washroom more sustainable, contact Hygiene Direct and we can help you look at the complete system rather than simply one product.
Related Articles
- Recycled vs Virgin Paper Towels: Which Is Better for Your Workplace?
- Can Used Paper Towels Be Composted?
- How to Make Your Commercial Washroom More Sustainable
- Plastic-Free Paper Towels: How to Reduce Washroom Packaging Waste