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Failure to flush after defecation will result in a fine of NT$1,000 for repeat offenders

According to a World Health Organization report, infectious diseases caused by the lack of public sanitation facilities kill more than 1,000 people every year. 2 million lives were lost, with children under 5 years old being the most severely affected. Currently, 40% of the world's population does not have access to public sanitation facilities, 80% of which live in Asia. It can be seen that the toilet is no small matter.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Singapore has aspired to become a "garden nation", so it has always attached great importance to the construction, design and management of public toilets. In the early years, Singapore's financial resources were limited, and the construction of toilets was not about decoration and design, but could only meet people's most basic needs. The government worked hard on management and educated people to take good care of the hygiene of public toilets. The government has full-time managers to manage public toilets, and they will resolutely stop any behavior that violates public ethics such as not flushing the toilet, stepping on the toilet, littering, etc., requiring the parties concerned to make corrections, and reminding them to pay attention next time. Singapore law stipulates that you should take the initiative to flush the toilet after using it. Otherwise, it is illegal and you will be fined as long as the evidence is conclusive. First-time offenders are fined S$150 (1 S$1 is approximately RMB 5); second-time offenders are fined S$500; after two violations, an additional fine of S$1,000 will be imposed for each subsequent violation.

After long-term education, many Singaporeans realize that no matter how well people eat or how beautifully they dress, life will not be completely satisfactory without a clean and comfortable toilet. Today, the Singaporean government regards clean public toilets as one of the signs of an "elegant society". Singapore holds a campaign to clean public toilets every year, organizes the public to select the best toilets, and also holds a national toilet seminar to focus on issues such as toilet facilities, design and maintenance.

Public toilets have a minimum of three stars

Currently, there are tens of thousands of public toilets in Singapore, and most of them are very clean. However, nearly a quarter of Singapore’s public toilets do not meet sanitary standards, especially toilets in many old neighborhoods that need to be renovated. After SARS last year, improving the sanitary conditions of public toilets became the top priority of Singapore's environment department. To this end, the government specially formulated the "Singapore OK" plan in 2003, spending S$4 million to renovate public toilets and improve public health conditions; the country's public toilets were divided into three grades, stipulating

The lowest level is three stars. The public toilet floor is not slippery, there is no garbage or stains in the toilet, the water pumping system is normal, and toilet paper and hand sanitizer are available are the most basic public toilet standards.

"Dirty toilets hide bad people"

Currently, 91% of public toilets in Singapore have been assessed as OK. When visiting the first public toilet to receive a five-star title, the Minister of Environmental Health said: "I hope I will have the opportunity to use this five-star public toilet to make myself happy." This five-star public toilet is located next to a shopping mall in Singapore. , the decoration is not very luxurious, but it is well-equipped and clean. A water suction machine is installed on the floor to keep the ground dry at all times; there is also a poster hanging on the wall: a man disguised as a mouse is standing in the toilet, with toilet paper scattered everywhere in front of him, and in the blank space of the poster is written A slogan - "Dirty toilets hide bad people".

People spend 3 years in the toilet in their lifetime

The Singapore Public Toilet Association believes that people spend a total of 3 years in the toilet in their lifetime. Therefore, whether it is for an individual , or for the country, toilets are a big deal. The hygiene of public toilets is key to a country's "maintaining reputation and increasing investment confidence." At the Third World Toilet Conference that just concluded at the end of last year, the Singapore Public Toilet Association took the lead in calling on people to improve the etiquette of using public toilets, such as: teaching young people to care for toilet hygiene and peeing close to the urinal; saving water when flushing toilets; before and after using the toilet , you must wipe the toilet seat to ensure your own hygiene and to facilitate the next person to use the toilet, etc.

In addition, the association also recommended that public toilets should use international symbols. The international standard logo uses a female figure wearing a skirt to represent a women's restroom, and a male figure without a skirt to represent a men's restroom. Some public restrooms are very trendy in decoration and have unique toilet signs. They use pipes and high heels, kings and queens and other signs to represent men's and women's restrooms, making it difficult to distinguish them. Recently, in large shopping malls, some members of the public entered the wrong toilet because they were unable to recognize the avant-garde design signs.

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Editor

According to historical records, during the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the Han people had a "clean" style; in the Han Dynasty, there were public toilets in China, which were called "cleanliness" at that time. In the Tang Dynasty, there was an official in charge of toilets, "Youxiao Linghe Cheng"; in the Yuan Dynasty, Marco Polo was amazed at the sanitary facilities in most cities. But in modern times, China's toilet hygiene status ranks among the last dozens in the world. According to the assessment of the World Health Organization, in Asia, the toilet sanitation situation is divided into four levels: the first level, the coverage rate of sanitary toilets reaches more than 75%, represented by Thailand; the second level, the coverage rate is 50-75%, with Indonesia and other countries; the third level, the coverage rate is more than 25%, China is among them; the fourth level, the coverage rate is below 25%. Many foreigners visiting China say: "The Chinese only pay attention to 'imports' (referring to catering) and not 'exports' (referring to toilet hygiene)." In 2004, the Fourth World Toilet Conference will be held in Beijing. The issue of toilet hygiene is once again before us. ▲