'Tube free' toilet paper headed for stores

IRVING, Texas, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Texas-based paper products giant Kimberly-Clark said the first "tube free" toilet paper is on its way to stores in the Northeast United States.

The Irving company said Scott Naturals Tube-Free toilet paper will be available Monday at Sam's Club and Walmart stores across the Northeast, and the brand may go global if sales are high, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Kimberly-Clark said the technology may also be adapted to its paper towel brands if the toilet paper is successful.

The company estimated 17 billion toilet paper tubes are produced each year in the United States, creating about 160 million pounds of garbage.

"We found a way to bring innovation to a category as mature as bath tissue," said Doug Daniels, brand manager at Kimberly-Clark.