The Friday Flush

I have so much loo news to get through that it’s not possible to comment on everything. So I introduce The Friday Flush!

Loo News

Voting for America’s Best Restroom is currently open.

Officials in India are keeping the streets clean by offering money to people to use urinals. I’m not sure if that’s awesome or stupid. I welcome suggestions.

Pride London has apologised after some event staff asked trans people to use a disabled toilet, apparently because they were so tall amongst all those short lesbians. Hey! Not all lesbians are short! People are more civilised in Thailand; a school in Si Sa Ket has created separate toilets for its 200 trans students.

A ridiculous gadget claims to ‘promote better relationships’ because it enables users to lift and lower the toilet seat without touching the often soiled seat. Whatever.

Taiwan decided flushing toilet paper down the toilet paper was okay, and then decided it wasn’t, because 82 per cent of of toilets flow directly into river and waterways. Taiwan uses 340 tonnes of toilet paper a day. Better to turn that into landfill, I say.

Sloan Valve Company’s new High Efficiency Toilet (HET) Systems have all sorts of sensor-flushy-solar-electro doovies to make your toilet super efficient. I think.

There’s a few stories about China allegedly poshing up its toilets so that Westerners don’t find them so offensive. As someone who has lived in China let me tell you that I’m very skeptical.

And to finish, Geri Haliwell loves talking about poo and wee. Good on you Geri.

Openings

In Colchester, the town centre toilets are open again, and ‘the first 50 customers to use the new arty loos in Lion Walk received a commemorative loo-roll’, designed by the artists. That’s so awesome I can’t even speak. No pic yet, but maybe soon.

The toilets are the first to be refurbished as part of Colchester Borough Council’s  Creative Conveniences project, during which a partnership of arts, street and tourism officers have worked together to improve the look, feel and function of a selection of Colchester’s public conveniences.

That’s so cool it deserves its own post. Oh, man, I need more time!!

Staying in the UK, COLDSTREAM and Eyemouth are top of the list to have their public toilets refurbished and also to get a town attendant each, responsible for cleaning the toilets and other general duties around the town. I’m such a fan of toilet attendants. It’s a really important job, and it also keeps toilets human – something I advocate strongly.

Closings

For every toilet that opens, dozens are closed. Angry Burnham-On-Sea town councillors this week threatened to withdraw £35,000 of funding for the district council in protest at the authority’s decision to shut down and sell the town’s seafront toilets. And in Borehamwood, the Community Toilet Scheme proposed 18 months ago is still not off the ground.