Don’t Make a Bad Situation Worse

The COVID-19 crisis has led to many disruptions and inconveniences to life in the Berkshires and the world. Among the challenges has been the scarcity of many items on store shelves including, for the sake of this story, toilet tissue.

Whether it's a distribution issue, or overbuying, or the fact that more of us will be spending more time at home thus increasing the need, it's hard to come by some good 2-ply these days.

Have faith, because the T-P, like the "truth" on the old X-Files TV series, is out there. I heard from someone who was in the North Adams Walmart today just as a stockperson was putting some on the shelves. Shoppers soon flocked around I was told, like seagulls after potato chips. They were limited to 1 package per person but still, they found their treasure. Right place, right time.

In the meantime, local officials are urging us not to put things like paper towels, facial tissue, baby wipes, etc. down our flushers no matter how necessary it may seem. They do not break up the way toilet paper does and could cause big problems in the wastewater systems, not to mention your home plumbing. North Adams has been pushing out phone reminders about that this week, along with the related news that the city's transfer station, which is where the used paper towels, facial tissues, wipes etc. belong, remains open.