Feeling flushed? NC town will deliver toilet paper to customers in need

The town of Hillsborough wants to know what residents are flushing down their toilets.

Two months into the coronavirus pandemic, many people are working from home and using the toilet at home more often.

And, in many areas, toilet paper is in short supply.

The town of about 7,000 residents in Orange County fears customers are flushing items they would not normally flush and that those items could clog pipes and cause overflows, a news release from the town states.

The town wants residents to only flush the three Ps — “pee, poo and (toilet) paper” — and take a brief survey on its Engage Hillsborough platform.

Wipes, paper towels, napkins, facial tissues, sanitary napkins, diapers, rags, magazine paper and even socks should be thrown in the trash and not flushed down the toilet, the town says on its No Wipes in the Pipes page.

Troy Miller, the town’s Utilities Infrastructure Protection supervisor, demonstrates why “flushable” wipes are bad for the sewer system in a video. He puts toilet paper in a jar of water and shakes it, showing how it breaks down. When he puts a wipe in, it does not break down.

“We are seeing many of our pump stations full of wipes, paper towels, shop rags and wash rags. These items clog pumps in the stations,” Miller said in an email. “The pumps then must be manually removed, cleaned out and reinstalled to ensure that waste does not overflow into streets, lakes and streams in the town.”

To help, the town will even bring toilet paper to those customers who need it.

“We are currently delivering Eco-Wise 2-ply toilet paper to any Town of Hillsborough water and sewer customer at no charge,” Miller said.

He can be contacted at 919-732-9459.

This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 11:26 AM.