I never really gave much thought to PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in used paper towels that I put in my compost, until I read this article from Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott.
https://gardenprofessors.com/cardboard-does-not-belong-on-your-soil-period/
“Longer-chain PFAS tend to stay in the roots, while shorter-chain PFAS tend to travel to other parts of the plant, such as the leaves and fruit.”
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p03111.pdf
by ASecularBuddhist
11 Comments
I completely understand the effort but at this point is there any stopping it? I read about these chemicals being found in humans. I find plastic in my yard all the time without even looking lol. I hate it
As you type this post you have forever chemicals and micro plastics traveling through your blood and brain, it’ll be okay man. Just compost the paper towels
So you’ve purchased reusable napkins then? Thats the real solution right. Don’t tell us your solution is to throw them into the garbage
don’t listen to any of these people, limit as much as you can. every little bit counts.
I have a native plant garden (i.e. I’m not eating my plants) so I’m not worrying about it so much. The PFAS are gonna end up somewhere… my garden seems like an ok place?
PFAS are in drinking water throughout the US, so if you water your garden, that’s more PFAS introduction… it’s everywhere. I understand wanting to reduce the load, but idk… I think we’ll learn more in the upcoming years
Source on the drinking water; https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/tap-water-study-detects-pfas-forever-chemicals-across-us
Is it just paper towels or are they in Kleenex and cardboard etc
I hear you, but we’re also at the point where it’s basically impossible to avoid. If PFAS is in your paper towels via the trees they were made from, it’s almost certainly also in your produce that you’re eating and composting.
Your second link doesn’t talk about cardboard at all – just PFAs in general – so the first link is the only one connecting these two topics. And I don’t find it particularly convincing. It accurately supports the statement that cardboard has more PFAs than wood chips, but it doesn’t state what levels of PFAs are dangerous – so it doesn’t support the argument that wood chips are safe while cardboard is unsafe. Also, some of the author’s recommendations in the comments are not very practical; she suggests controlling weeds with a full foot of wood chips. If I did that on just a few areas, they’d become mounds and unstable; if I did that on a large area, I’d need a dump truck full.
I shred and compost/mulch with “brown” cardboard, and recycle the stuff with paints or waxes. I’m sure that adds more PFAs than wood chips, but I’ve waited for a chipdrop for months with zero luck and I don’t plan on ordering a dump truck full of wood chips, so I think it’s the best alternative.
How *dare* you not put those paper towels into your compost bin?! Because PFAs are already everywhere, you *must* simply accept them and compost everything that is mostly organic. I shall downvote every comment you make here to emphasize my disgust!
Joking, of course. It always confuses me that people get so offended when others have opinions that differ from theirs. I don’t know how to deal with it other than to laugh.
Sigh, I guess I should stop throwing them in my compost too. Should probably stop composting tea bags for the same reason. Oh well, I know that the landfill they would go to instead collects methane and uses it to generate electricity (not sure how widespread that practice is though).
That table shows PFAS is detected even in the control material (unused wood) as well, so I’m not sure you have anywhere to turn to, tbh.
I’m also lacking context of which concentrations of PFAS should worry me, because clearly if it is everywhere, then shouting “there’s PFAS in that!” Isn’t very impactful…