Despite being a First World country, Singapore is struggling to provide basic amenities like clean toilets to its citizens. At the launch of the latest stage of its LOO campaign – Let’s Observe Ourselves – a local civic group felt that washroom hygiene can be maintained through public awareness. The Asian city-state has 30,000 public restrooms and aims to make 70% of them at least “three-star” clean by 2013.
However, a survey conducted by the Restroom Association Singapore (RAS) found that only 500 of the island’s public toilets met the standards of a clean and working facility. The restrooms smelled foul and there was no provision for hand soap and toilet paper.
Under the RAS Happy Toilet Programme, toilets are rated from three to five stars. A four-star toilet should have a diaper changing station or urinal for children while a five-star facility should have eco-friendly features such as water-saving taps. The RAS said it would also distribute packets of pocket tissues with restroom etiquette messages printed on it to visitors during peak hours.