Why has the Hong Kong government banned e-cigarettes but done such a poor job of enforcing the ban on smoking in public areas? Photo: David Wong
Source:
https://scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2188554/hong-kongs-dirty-public-toilets-can-be-cleaned-through-education 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
A public toilet in Kowloon City. The popular impression of government-run public toilets being stinky and clogged is justified in Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So Image of the Tung Tsing Road Public Toilet in Kowloon City. 22FEB19 SCMP / Edmond So
I am writing in response to the article “HK$500 million expected in budget to upgrade Hong Kong’s toilets, but what can city learn from Singapore’s clean experience?” (February 27).
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced in the recent budget that there will be an injection of about HK$500 million (US$64 million) to upgrade all public toilets in Hong Kong. However, some activists believe money alone is not enough to clean up our restrooms; we also need maintenance and public education.
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.
One can only marvel at the government’s warped logic in banning e-cigarettes, yet poorly enforcing the ban on smoking in public areas. A walk along the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade is an experience not to be missed, as one holds one’s nose to avoid the pervading stench.
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