Restroom Association wants 70% of public toilets to achieve 3-star rating by 2010
By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid,Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 19 November 2008 1917 hrs
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SINGAPORE: Only 20 to 30 per cent of Singapore's toilets currently get a three-star rating in cleanliness and hygiene, according to the Restroom Association (Singapore).
It hopes to double or even triple this figure, with the launch of a two-year nationwide campaign in conjunction with World Toilet Day on Wednesday.
Singapore's public toilets in Singapore saw a marked improvement in cleanliness and hygiene during the SARS outbreak in 2003.
However since then, standards have slackened and hence, the latest three-star drive to make them clean, dry and odourless.
The Restroom Association (Singapore) hopes to see at least 70 per cent of the country's 35,000 toilet blocks achieving this by 2010.
Tan Puay Hoon, president, Restroom Association (Singapore), said: "We are using a multi-pronged approach. We go to the toilet owners and tell them that looking into the design is important. Having enough provisions in the toilet cubicles is also important, especially the ratio between the ladies and male toilets."
With Singapore hosting more international events, such as the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in 2010, the campaign is timely. But for it to be successful, a holistic approach is needed.
Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Environment & Water Resources Ministry, said: "It is important to look into the welfare of the toilet cleaners, in this case in terms of pay. So we need to urge employers to look into best sourcing and not cheap sourcing because that will also affect the effectiveness of the toilet cleaners."
Also in the pipeline - Restroom Association (Singapore) will train more "Eco-assessors" to check and rate public toilets.
Restroom Association (Singapore) will also be expanding its Happy Toilet School Education programme, which is currently conducted in primary and pre-schools. - CNA/vm
By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid,Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 19 November 2008 1917 hrs
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=260 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=right width=20> </TD><TD align=right width=240>
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD><TD class=update> </TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
SINGAPORE: Only 20 to 30 per cent of Singapore's toilets currently get a three-star rating in cleanliness and hygiene, according to the Restroom Association (Singapore).
It hopes to double or even triple this figure, with the launch of a two-year nationwide campaign in conjunction with World Toilet Day on Wednesday.
Singapore's public toilets in Singapore saw a marked improvement in cleanliness and hygiene during the SARS outbreak in 2003.
However since then, standards have slackened and hence, the latest three-star drive to make them clean, dry and odourless.
The Restroom Association (Singapore) hopes to see at least 70 per cent of the country's 35,000 toilet blocks achieving this by 2010.
Tan Puay Hoon, president, Restroom Association (Singapore), said: "We are using a multi-pronged approach. We go to the toilet owners and tell them that looking into the design is important. Having enough provisions in the toilet cubicles is also important, especially the ratio between the ladies and male toilets."
With Singapore hosting more international events, such as the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in 2010, the campaign is timely. But for it to be successful, a holistic approach is needed.
Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Environment & Water Resources Ministry, said: "It is important to look into the welfare of the toilet cleaners, in this case in terms of pay. So we need to urge employers to look into best sourcing and not cheap sourcing because that will also affect the effectiveness of the toilet cleaners."
Also in the pipeline - Restroom Association (Singapore) will train more "Eco-assessors" to check and rate public toilets.
Restroom Association (Singapore) will also be expanding its Happy Toilet School Education programme, which is currently conducted in primary and pre-schools. - CNA/vm
