Got toilet paper?

Well, you can hang onto it, according to Honolulu city parks officials, who after about seven weeks of dealing with a shortage say they have now secured a steady supply of industrial-sized toilet paper, along with reserve inventory for their park restrooms.

In late July, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation asked the public to bring their own toilet paper, if possible, for use in park restrooms due to a shortage resulting from supply chain issues.

At the time, DPR was also experiencing an increased use of park restrooms during the summer months.

DPR said increased production costs, along with a reduction in raw materials resulted in an inconsistent supply of the specific toilet paper used in Oahu’s public park bathrooms. For some delivery periods, DPR said this resulted in only 40% of the regular supply delivered when park bathroom usage was up.

“A big mahalo to our parks ohana across the island for being so understanding of our toilet paper shortage,” said DPR Director Laura H. Thielen in a news release. “We wanted to be as transparent as possible with this unfortunate situation, to avoid park users from being caught off guard or park bathrooms experiencing an unmanageable amount of clogging. We appreciate everyone’s kokua and patience as we worked to get the supply of this bathroom necessity back to regular levels.”

DPR maintains approximately 215 comfort stations — or restroom facilities — across Oahu, which are stocked with industrial toilet paper rolls different from the regular, household rolls sold at supermarkets.

Veritiv, DPR’s primary provider, was able to supply “large infusions of toilet paper during these past weeks,” according to a news release. In addition, a more steady and secure supply of toilet paper has been confirmed.

“Veritiv is grateful for the opportunity to support DPR operations at their facilities across Oahu for the enjoyment of kamaaina and visitors alike,” said J.R. Reisinger, Veritiv’s Hawai‘i Sales Manager in the news release. “We appreciate our partners at DPR choosing Veritiv to be their supplier of choice now and in the future.”

Parks officials continue to urge the public not to use “flushable” wipes, paper towels, or clothing as an alternative to toilet paper because they do not break down in the water and cause clogs, which result in bathroom closures.

Additionally, people using sanitary wipes should throw them into trash bins instead of flushing them down the toilet.

“Remember, only two things should be flushed down the toilet: bodily waste and toilet paper,” said DPR in its news release.