Time to go tubeless? Kimberly-Clark says yes. Their latest innovation urges toilet paper users — hopefully everyone! — to try tube-free bathroom tissue. The new-fangled tubeless design ditches the cardboard tube — first inserted into a roll of toilet paper more than 100 years ago. 

“The simple step of skipping the center tube in its Scott Naturals bathroom tissue could eliminate a large chunk of 17 billion such tubes thrown away each year, enough to fill the Empire State Building twice,” says an article on the Journal Sentinel website. 

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, the company says the next generation tubeless toilet paper roll has already been tested to small markets in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

“You just put it on the spindle like regular bath tissue. And when you get to that last sheet, it just rolls off. There’s no wasted cardboard tube left behind,” says Jared Mackrory, brand manager for Scott, in the article. 

A 30-foot replica of the Empire State Building made from toilet paper tubes helped the brand roll out the new product in New York. The new rolls are now available nationwide through Walmart stores and other retailers. 

Does it seem awkward and perhaps wobbly? Possibly. Will it reduce paper waste? Definitely. The long-term expectation is that cardboard tubes will stay out of landfills and sewage systems, since they’re very rarely recycled — some people even flush them down the toilet! 

Imagine how many cardboard tubes you suck up when vacuuming out restrooms because people just assume they’re not recyclable, or because it’s just convenient, to throw them in the tank with rest of the waste.  

The tubeless rolls are taking a hit from some angry consumers on the company’s website, but the new rolls could be the next big thing for portable restroom operators. 

Think about it. You won’t have to hassle with cardboard tubes when servicing units, and you’ll eliminate those amateur — and inconvenient — out-of-paper situations. Technicians will have one less restroom-cleaning step, which will save you time and money. And since your company will generate less waste, that means fewer trips to the recycling center. 

Production and consumer costs, apples to apples, are basically the same with savings from removing the tube being offset by manufacturing changes.

Want to take the #TossTheTube pledge? Visit www.scottbrand.com.