Letters | Hong Kong’s dirty public toilets can be cleaned up through education, rather than using money alone
- Improved toilet facilities won’t go far if they are poorly maintained and users are not educated on treating public property well
The popular impression of government-run public toilets being stinky and clogged is justified in Hong Kong. Most people are not willing to use these toilets. Instead, they go to the toilets in shopping malls.
Our public toilets are so filthy not just because they are not cleaned well, but also because of how people use them. The government should focus on building a culture of treating public property well through education and media promotion.
Besides, I agree with the writer that the Hong Kong government should learn from the cleanliness of Singapore. Singapore has a voluntary rating system in place to grade the cleanliness of public restrooms. If Hong Kong had such a scheme, it would force authorities to improve toilets with low ratings. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department could also conduct regular checks of those toilets.
Sheryl Cheung Sin-yan, Kwai Chung
From streets to minibuses, Hong Kong badly needs a clean-up
A substantial amount of money has been allocated by the financial secretary to upgrade Hong Kong’s toilets, a decision that is long overdue. It is, however, essential that they are then maintained to a high standard and their cleanliness scrupulously monitored. It is not only the city’s toilets that need immediate attention, but also its filthy streets, buses and minibuses.
The relevant government departments should be independently monitored to ensure that they are actually doing the tasks for which they are responsible to ensure that Hong Kong lives up to its fading claim of being Asia’s “world city”.
James Francis, North Point