SFO Spends Half Million on Toilet Paper?

The city of San Francisco may want to do a little coupon-cutting.

San Francisco International Airport pays about $500,000 dollars a year for toilet paper, according to a wacky investigation by SF Weekly. But don't worry: taxpayers don't foot the bill. The airport pays for resources like that out of its own operating budget.

The Weekly uncovered more scintillating facts, such as the library's penchant for two-ply stock rather than single-ply. Rec and Park spends about $50,000, and Muni spends about $25,000. Programs serving disadvantaged citizens tend to opt for the cheaper types of paper.

The data about the city's wiping habits lives in the office of the city purchaser. When asked, purchaser Naomi Kelly provided SF Weekly with a seven-page report on usage.

All told, the city's expenses approach nearly a million dollars just for toilet paper -- and that doesn't count the costs of processing the paper once it's in the city's sewers.

Would it be possible to reduce that expense? Maybe. San Francisco is home, after all, to Brondell, a company that makes a product called "Swash" that's basically a toilet seat with a built-in bidet.