Most paper products are compostable. As we’ve seen, some, like glossy paper, are not. How about toilet paper or facial tissue? Can you compost toilet paper or facial tissue? Let’s take a look at them. We’ll cover them together because they’re very similar with similar concerns and material.
Can You Compost Toilet Paper or Facial Tissue?
You can but there are some conditions to think about.
If you’ve used the tissue or toilet paper to clean up these things, then you don’t want to compost it:
- Blood – though a small amount is fine. It can attract pests so you don’t want to compost it if you are using it to staunch that Rambo-sized bleed
- Feces
- Most pet waste
- Make-up
- Cleaning Products or other chemicals
- Oils
Also, just as a public service announcement, don’t flush facial tissue, or wipes, down the toilet. They aren’t designed to break up in the water and can clog or damage pipes.
Here are some things you can use toilet paper or tissue for and still compost. Now, before we show you the list, it’s entirely up to you. You may not WANT to compost it for all of these things:
- Water
- Urine (yep, really)
- Saliva
- Mucus (like a runny nose) – if the person is truly sick, best just to throw it out to avoid adding bacteria or viruses that you don’t want into your compost. We aren’t microbiologists and can’t know all the bad things that could happen.
- Tears
These things are okay. Of course, we can’t give you a list of everything that you might use toilet paper or facial tissue for, but hopefully, this will give you an idea of when you can compost toilet paper or facial tissue.
You want to avoid composting colored toilet paper or facial tissue. The dyes aren’t always compostable, so unless it says it is on the packaging, assume it isn’t.
How Long Does It Take to Compost Toilet Paper or Facial Tissue?
A few things can impact how long it takes to compost toilet paper or facial tissue. Here are some of the factors:
- What It’s Made Out Of – Toilet paper or tissues can be made out of several things. Each of these composts differently. For example, here are a few of the more common materials:
- Wood Fibers (trees)
- Recycled Paper
- Bamboo
- Sugar Cane
- Thickness or “Ply” – Different tissues and toilet papers have different thicknesses. The thicker they are, the longer they will take to break down. Often, this is listed on the packaging because it’s a selling point. Thicker paper is more comfortable but also takes longer to break down. For example, a 2-ply paper will take twice as long as a single-ply because there’s twice as much material.
With all this in mind, toilet paper takes from about two weeks to two months to compost, depending on these factors and whether you ripped it up first. Like other materials, smaller pieces compost faster.
Can I Add Toilet Paper or Facial Tissue to Compost?
You can usually compost toilet paper or facial tissue but it depends on what it was used for. Basically light use is okay to compost.