Paper
Toilet tissue disappears naturally in wastewater, which generally ends up at municipal treatment works. In most cases the fibre composition of toilet tissue makes it easy to deal with in wastewater treatment processes.
Other used tissue products, such as paper towels for household and industrial use, can be used as energy or bio-waste. Using waste tissue as an energy source produces carbon dioxide and water after combustion. Note that if materials such as oil, solvents, paints etc. have been wiped with a tissue towel, that waste must be handled in a suitable manner.
Tissue is good for composting. According to a survey commissioned by VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland), composting destroys paper towels. Towels made from virgin fibre decompose more quickly than those made from recovered fibre. The paper towels do not slow the composting process, and it has no harmful effect on the quality of the compost. Tissue paper can also be mixed with food waste, for example, as it binds with liquid in the food waste. Tissue mixed with bio-waste also helps reduce the odour of bio-waste.
The results of the life cycle analysis we commissioned show that energy recovery is the best option. This is because energy recovery has less impact on the environment, and combustion requires fewer resources.