According to a report by The Denver Post, the city of Littleton, Colorado, is using toilet paper to help seal cracks on roughly 120 streets within its borders.
There’s more to it than just single- or two-ply bathroom tissue being set on the cracks. The paper is applied with a paint roller over the tar crack filler as a means of absorbing the oil from the material. This, in turn, aims to keep the asphalt residue from sticking to tires or shoes.
The tissue also helps officials allow traffic on the roads right away.
“It means traffic has better access because we don’t have to close down a street to do the sealing,” Littleton spokeswoman Kelli Narde told The Denver Post. The toilet paper used is biodegradable so it breaks down quickly, leaving little mess.
Lincoln, Nebraska, has used toilet paper when filling cracks since 2014, but officials say single ply is the best to use, as the top ply in two-ply won’t absorb the oil and blows away.