How to Make the Switch to Zero Waste Kitchen Roll

How many times a day do you reach for a paper towel just to wipe up a tiny spill? While those disposable sheets are convenient, they come at a heavy cost to our wallets and the planet.

But what if making one simple swap in your kitchen could drastically cut down your waste? Let’s dive into how ditching traditional kitchen roll for reusable alternatives can transform your daily routine—one spill at a time.

Naked Paper is a super eco-brand, offering recycled paper kitchen roll, facial tissues, kitchen roll and bathroom tissue, all sold in zero waste packaging.

If using with cleaners, choose biodegradable cleaning brands (unscented for pregnancy/breastfeeding/babies and affected medical conditions). Avoid essential oils near pets (citrus oils are unsafe, so don’t use to clean floors/counters). 

Why Kitchen Roll Should Never Be Flushed

Kitchen roll may look similar to toilet paper, but it is made to be much stronger. It is designed to absorb liquids and stay together when wet, which makes it excellent for cleaning but unsuitable for flushing.

Flushing kitchen roll can cause toilet blockages because it does not break down quickly in water. Instead:

• Clean or lightly used kitchen roll: Tear it into smaller pieces and add it to your home compost if your compost system allows.
• Roll covered in oil, grease, or food waste: Place in bin.

Serious Tissues Kitchen Roll: A Planet-Friendly Choice

Serious Tissues Kitchen Roll is made in the Midlands using recycled materials, including old cereal boxes and newspapers. Instead of sending these materials to landfill or allowing them to go unused, they are given a new purpose and turned into strong, practical kitchen rolls.

Each Serious Tissues Kitchen Roll delivery contains either:

• 6 jumbo kitchen rolls, or
• 12 jumbo kitchen rolls

Each roll contains 100 sheets and is made with a thick 3-ply construction. This gives the roll extra strength and durability, making it suitable for everyday household tasks.

Who Gives a Crap? Recycled Kitchen Roll

Who Gives a Crap? sells these fab kitchen rolls, made from post-consumer waste paper, and sold in colourful paper packaging. Known mostly for its recycled paper toilet roll, it’s now ventured into making a few other products, to help stop deforestation.

And this company donates 50% of profits to sanitation projects abroad, so that people have access to clean hygienic toilets.

Each double-length roll contains 135 strong sheets made from biodegradable, two-ply paper. The rolls contain no added scent, dyes, or inks, making them a simple choice for households that prefer fewer unnecessary ingredients.

Cheeky Panda Bamboo Kitchen Rolls

Cheeky Panda Bamboo Kitchen Roll is a zero waste alternative to brands that are made from trees, usually cut down in Boreal forests (home to moose and grizzly bears). This brand is guaranteed to only use 100% bamboo (not mixed with other woods, like some brands).

Bamboo is the world’s fastest-growing grass (up to 3 feet a day). So even when harvesting, it quickly grows back again. It’s not local but far better than making kitchen towels from trees. Sold in paper packaging, bamboo is also very soft and absorbent.

Ideal to wipe up spills in the kitchen, they are ideal for coffee spills, sauce explosions, or when the blender lid was not on properly when you made your smoothie! These towels don’t disintegrate when they get wet.

Choose from packs of 4 or 10 rolls, each one has 200 sheets. You can then safely bin used towels, and everything else is easily recycled.

Biodegradable Dry Wipes: Everyday Alternative

For jobs where you need something a little stronger than kitchen roll, biodegradable dry wipes can be a useful alternative.

Like bamboo kitchen roll, these wipes are designed to be thrown away after use, while the packaging can be recycled. They are a versatile option for many everyday tasks around the home.

You can use biodegradable dry wipes as an alternative to cotton pads for removing make-up or nail polish. They are also useful for cleaning up small spills, wiping your face when travelling, or keeping in your bag for days out.

Simply add a little water and they can also be used for cleaning surfaces such as mirrors, windows or shelves.

Anti-Bacterial Surface Wipes

Many antibacterial wipes sold in supermarkets contain harsh chemicals and create unnecessary waste. These anti-bacterial surface wipes  provide an alternative designed for effective cleaning while reducing reliance on stronger chemical ingredients.

These wipes contain less than 5% cationic surfactant, an antimicrobial ingredient that helps remove 99.99% of bacteria with each wipe. They are designed for situations where hygiene is especially important, such as cleaning areas that need a higher level of sanitation.

They can help tackle bacteria, viruses, fungi and algae, making them useful for cleaning high-touch surfaces around the home or workplace.

The majority of the packaging can be recycled at home. However, the inner wrapper contains partly recycled plastic, so it may need to be taken to supermarket plastic bag recycling points if your local kerbside collection does not accept this type of material.

Dream Cloth (a washable paper towel alternative)

Tired of buying rolls of paper towels that end up in the bin after one use?

Dream Cloth offers a fresh way to clean that keeps your home tidy and helps the planet. These reusable towels can handle big messes, simple spills, and everyday wipes.

Sold in packs of 3, Dream Cloths are one part sponge, one part cloth and three parts marvellous! Perfect to wipe up spills or wipe countertops and appliances, the cloth can hold 13 times its weight in water, and is also fast to dry, so you never get that icky sponge smell.

When you first receive your dream cloth, you’ll notice is a bit crispy. But that what helps to stop bacteria. A quick rinse under the tap, and it magically transforms to absorb like a sponge, or scrub like a cloth.

What are dream cloths made from?

They are made from a blend of repurposed cotton and cellulose (wood pulp). So no synthetics like microfiber or recycled plastic). So they can safely be laundered or go in the dishwasher, without releasing microplastics into the ocean. Dry flat.

Do not use fabric conditioner (nor tumble dry) as this reduces absorbency. 

Designed to last around 50 washes (9 months), there are three Dream Cloths in each pack. So perhaps keep one for each wet room in the house?

Then just cut up and compost at end of use, or bin to naturally biodegrade.

And this company donates 50% of profits to sanitation projects abroad, so that people have access to clean hygienic toilets.

They’re not cheap (£8 for a pack of 3), but live up to all the promises. Would recommend them.

Good quality durable cloth, with sponge-like texture.

Really handsome cloths, and a good size for everyday cleaning.

I use them in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry. Best thing is they won’t contribute to landfill.