To me, it isn't a pain to clean at all. I really don't mind the extra work I have to do when cleaning up Aspen. The gross thing about paper towels and newspaper is when your snake urinates or defecates most of it get wets and smells awful. The thing I don't like about it is that I like keeping my snakes clean and free from smelling like crap and having the Salmonella bacteria on them (even though they probably have it on them anyway) but using paper towels or newspaper will probably soak the snake in it's own feces or urine.
Plus I don't think it controls humidity well, which I have a huge problem with since it's so dry here.