User:JustinePorto/Public toilets in Colombia

Public toilets in Colombia are not very common, with most being public pay toilets and not providing toilet paper.

Public toilets
There are very few public toilets in Colombia. A 2021 study found there was one public toilet per 100,000 people. Given the lack of public toilets, most people use toilets in restaurants, museums, shopping malls, bus stations and airports instead. Some supermarkets also have toilets that can be accessed by members of the public.

Public pay toilets are common, with a typical charge being around COP$450. The most common type of toilet is a sit toilet. Public toilets often do not provide toilet paper, and the sewage system is not equipped to deal with toilet paper anyway. If toilet paper is provided, a small waste basket is often found next to the toilet to dispose of it. Despite the fee, public toilets often are dirty. Some bus stations sell toilet paper, as an additional fee to use their toilets, with the cost around COP$200 to COP$300. Many people in the country bathe or shower multiple times a day.

Regional and global situation impacting public toilets in Colombia
Baño is the most common way to say toilet in Spanish speaking countries. Other words for toilet include aseo, váter, retrete, servicio, lavabo, sanitarios, regadera, bidé, tina, lavamanos and orinal. Men's toilets are called hombres, while women's toilets are called mujeres. Unisex toilets are called baño unisex. Toilet paper is called papel higiénico.

Public toilet access around the world is most acute in the Global South, with around 3.6 billion people, 40% of the world's total population, lacking access to any toilet facilities. 2.3 people in the the Global South do not have toilet facilities in their residence. Despite the fact that the United Nation made a declaration in 2010 that clean water and sanitation is a human right, little has been done in many places towards addressing this on a wider level.

An issue in developing countries is toilet access in schools. Only 46% of schools in developing countries have them. In the early 2000s, it was very rare for public toilets to have wheelchair access anywhere in South America. The few that were available tended to be at upscale shopping centers.

Sit flush toilets are the most common type of toilet in Latin America and South America. Most countries in Latin and South America do not have the sanitation infrastructure to support toilet paper being flushed. Trash cans are typically put next to the toilet to allow for easy disposal of toilet paper.