I was deployed to Uzbekistan in 2004. If the portajohns ran out of good ol’ U.S. style TP, they substituted good ol’ former Soviet Union style TP. I have a souvenir roll of that Russian stuff. Not like sandpaper, but close.
And in a restaurant in Samarkand the WC was an elevated hole in the floor. I only needed to take a whiz but noticed that used TP went into a wastebasket next to the hole. Ewww!
My deployment to an independent republic of the defunct USSR taught me one thing: nothing, I repeat, nothing bad I ever heard about life under communism was ever proven to be wrong. The socialist quality of life sucked beyond all imagining; the middle aged Uzbeks told me so, and I swear their younger generation was nostalgic for Josef Stalin & they told me so too!
Humble toilet paper a measure of the general societal quality of life? You bet your bippy!
I've heard this is the case in some places south of the U.S. southern border as well (possibly because of plumbing). In Texas, I've seen some Mexican restaurants (with standard US plumbing) with little wastebaskets next to the toilet in the men's room. I suspect it's because old habits die hard. Or else it is to put a bunch of napkins used to cover the toilet seat.
Which is why Obama, and Clinton, and Sheryl Crow and the other nannystaters have to force upon Americans less efficient toilet bowls, encourage them not to flush regularly, reduce the quality and consumption of TP, demand that air conditioning can not be adjusted to whatever creature comfort level the resident WANTS to and CAN AFFORD to live at, why American autos must be downsized until they become motorized rollerskates or clown cars, why American hamburgers must be demonized, why....