These days, paper towels are generally made from recycled paper, and the paper fibers get shorter with each reuse. Papermaking fibers can typically be recycled five to seven times before they become too short to be recycled again, and paper towels and napkins are the last stop in the recycling chain.
Can you put paper towels in a compost bin?
You should not try to compost any paper towels that have synthetic additives, including bleach, and are advertised as disinfectants or fragrant etc. The best paper towels to compost are those made of 100% recycled material. Newspaper, cut into thin strips are actually a good way to start a compost pile.