CALL THE TOILET POLICE
THE scene, the stench, the mess is often an assault on our
senses.
But who are you going to call?
We're talking filthy toilets because of inconsiderate users, a
situation that remains a stain on Singapore's first-world
status.
You don't have to grimace and bear it; just call the toilet
police.
Although there has been progress in recent years in cleaning up the
majority of Singapore's many public lavatories, there can be no
rest for the good people of the Restroom Association of Singapore,
the country's unofficial toilet police.
The association, with the help of the public, identifies and
disinfects some of the nation's dirtiest restrooms.
Once notified via its hotline or e-mail, the association swings
into action and will inform the owner of the toilet to clean up or
find himself reported to the National Environment Agency
(NEA).
It has more than 20 volunteers who feel strongly about the
cleanliness of public toilets here.
They range from secondary school students to a 60-year-old.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Ms Tan Puay Hoon, 43, president of the Restroom Association of
Singapore, said: 'Although the public toilets in Singapore have
improved over the past two to three years, you still come across
reports of bad toilets.
'Most of these are coffee-shop toilets that still lag behind the
relatively well-maintained toilets at marketplaces and food
centres.'
Following a tip-off, The New Paper did a little checking and
uncovered a real nightmare-maker at the back of a petrol station
along Geylang Road.
Unfortunately, such horrors often go unreported as the public may
be unaware of who will address the problem, or they don't give
detailed reports.
Ms Tan said that in the last two months, she has seen more than 10
complaints of dirty toilets in the newspapers.
'Most people don't know where to go when they come across a dirty
toilet, so they just write into forums.
'Those who have come across our website leave their complaints on
it, but they never leave particulars like the exact location of the
toilet for us to take any action.'
Ms Tan urged the public to give the exact location when reporting
mismanaged toilets.
But she added that people should bear in mind that the dirty toilet
may just be a momentary lapse in cleanliness.
'Sometimes, a particular toilet may not have been cleaned or the
previous user may not have used it properly. This is different from
a toilet that is constantly dirty.'
A toilet cleaner at the poorly managed toilet The New Paper came
across agreed, saying that it was 'impossible' to keep a toilet
clean throughout the day unless users are more considerate.
'We try and clean the toilet as many times as possible, but people
keep using it and it becomes difficult to always keep it
clean.'
He said that about 150 people used that toilet in Geylang every
day.
'People from this petrol station and from the neighbourhood coffee
shops use this.'
Ms Tan said that a three-pronged approach should be adopted to
maintain the sanitation standards of public toilets.
'Users should use toilets hygienically, cleaners should clean them
well and the design of the toilet should also be improved.'
In designing toilets, Ms Tan said that the wash basin, the hand
dryer and towel dispenser should all be located close to each
other.
'Otherwise, people need to walk from one place to another to dry
their hands after washing and the water from their wet hands falls
on to the floor.'
The association plans to launch a public education programme to
teach people toilet etiquette next year.
Till then, it encourages users with complaints on dirty toilets to
write in online at www.toilet.org.sg or call 6297-9824 from 9am to
5pm on weekdays.
Megha Gupta, newsroom intern
source
