Bavarian Municipality Wipes out 12-year Toilet Paper Supply

After 12 years, a municipality in Bavaria has flushed the final roll of what turned out to be a supersized toilet paper order.

According to local media reports, the story dates back to 2006, when an employee of the municipality of Fuchstal placed an order for two packaging units of toilet paper. Upon delivery of the first unit, it turned out that he had underestimated the size of his order, as one unit equaled one full truckload. The municipality managed to cancel the second truck and set up a four-member task force that spent several days distributing the toilet paper to all schools, fire departments and local authorities. “Everywhere you looked – in every closet, in every drawer – there was toilet paper,” Fuchstal mayor Erwin Karg told reporters.

However, administrative staff and citizens were not amused because the new toilet paper was single-layered and gray. “It was the cheapest choice,” Karg told local media, adding that the material tended to turn yellow and grow brittle under exposure to sunlight and that many people preferred to bring their own toilet paper, which made the supply last even longer.

Still, Fuchstal had gotten a deal. While the Euro 6,000 ($6,764) bill seemed to be high at first, toilet paper prices started to climb shortly after the purchase. “All in all, we saved Euro 1,000,” Karg was quoted in local media as saying. And so the municipality has placed a large toilet paper order again – two-ply and white this time, and delivery has reportedly been split up in retail volumes.

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