Whenever I check into a hotel, the toilet paper roll is either full or nearly so. Assuming that I’m not just lucky, what happens to all of the half used rolls of toilet paper? Do they recycle them? Do they give them to the staff as a benefit? Do hotels have machines for combining partially used rolls into a full roll?
Toilet paper rolls are quite inexpensive, so I guess they just throw them away.
I’ve worked at several hotels, but as far as I’m aware, the old roll of toilet paper is just left there until it’s used up, then another roll is put on, either by the housekeeping staff or the guests themselves, although I must admit, I never really paid that much attention.
I think when you check in (at least at the places I’ve worked), you may have a half-used roll of paper on the dispenser and a full roll, still wrapped up, sitting on the bathroom counter or on the back of the toilet. If you run out before housekeeping does their thing in the morning, you can replace the roll yourself, but if the housekeeper notices that the roll is getting low, they may go ahead and replace it then.
You didn’t say what kind of hotels you’re staying in, but if they’re the more upscale variety, I suppose it’s possible that they are putting on a brand new roll for each new guest. If this is what they’re doing, then I’d assume that they’re either recycling the used rolls or (more likely) they’re just throwing them away. They’re certainly not giving them away to the staff*, although I doubt they’d complain if the staff took them home. And I don’t think there exists such a machine as the one you described. 
- I started to write, “…and I doubt the staff would be so hard up that they couldn’t afford toilet paper,” but then I remembered how little I got paid at some of those places, and I know that housekeeping got paid even less.
IN the old office building I worked at the cleaning crew would always replace the rolls of TP in the Executive’s washroom with full rolls, regardless if they need it or not. The half used rolls were then put in the other washrooms for us peons to use. I always thought that hotels would replace the used rolls with full ones and use the used rolls in the employee bathrooms.
In this context, “used” rolls of TP is a pretty oogy concept.
I’ve also checked into many a hotel with a partially depleted roll. Of course, I don’t always stay at the 5 star hotels, either.
On a related note, what is the rationale behind folding the end of the roll into a little triangle? Is that so that you will know that no one has used your toilet paper since the cleaning staff was there or what?
I’ve always been told that the pointy thing is to indicate that they have actually cleaned the bathroom…or at least taken the time to fold the end of the toiler paper.
I’ve also been told that the annoying habit of closing the bathtub drain is to ensure that bugs don’t crawl up through it.
Back to the original question, I’m not staying at the fanciest of hotels, but I’d swear I’ve never gotten a roll of toilet paper that was even half consumed.
Same here. WAG…the semi-consumed rolls are used in other bathrooms in the hotel. The restrooms off the bar, employee restrooms, etc.
Hell, I’ll take 'em. It’s $8 or $9 for store brand 24-pack. I’m not a miser, but $9 is $9. And if I don’t want to my house guests to think I’m a miser, I’ve got to shell out $12 for the brand name, scented stuff.
I like how they try to fool you with fancy names like “Park Avenue” on the toilet paper when most of the time it feels like it was manufactured by 3M, not Kimberly-Clark!
That thread title seems it could be a Weird Al Yankovik parody of an Eagles’ song.
"Welcome to The Hotel Toilet Paper …
such a ‘Charmin’ place
As a professional hotel-stayer (12-15 nights/month for decades), I have to say I’ve seen almost every possible roll fullness.
But I agree that I see almost empty rolls at home a lot more than I see them on the road. I bet they throw them away when they get below a certain size, which varies from “used at all” at a 5-star, to “only when empty” at a flea-bag.
I can’t imagine a hotel using more than a tiny fraction of the used rolls in their public facilities or backstage; the number of partial rolls created by guests every day would be vastly more than the other restrooms could consume. Some, yes, and the rest go to the dumpster.
I’ll have to ask the housekeepers at a few places and see what the concensus is.