User:JustinePorto/Public toilets in Singapore

Public toilets in Singapore are reasonably common, often cost to use and are relatively clean. Since the introduction of the  Happy Toilet Programme in 2003 by the Restroom Association of Singapore, public toilets have been cleaner. These efforts have been facilitated by a 2013 law that requires people to flush toilets. Toilet cleanliness often depends a bit on the location, with dirtier ones found in private business and cleaner ones found in government buildings and healthcare.

Public toilets
jamban means toilet in Malay. A 2021 study found there were five public toilets per 100,000 people. Public toilets in Singapore are normally known for being very clean. It generally costs between $0.10 and $0.20 to use the public toilet. Some public toilets are manned by attendants. Others have turnstile access. In 2018, squat toilets were one of the most common type of public toilets. Public urination is heavily frowned upon.

History
The government started a campaign to clean up public toilets in 1989, and starting imposing a fine of USD$650 on people who failed to flush and scrub the public toilet they used clean after each use. In the late 1990s, some people ate bag lunches in public toilets.

ASEAN developed a plan in 2002 that they asked to be implemented in member countries to expand public toilet access across the countries it represents. The goal was in part to help expand tourist infrastructure and improve regional economics. The Happy Toilet Programme has been run by the Restroom Association of Singapore since 2003. In 2012, they created a website called Loo Connect to assist members of the public in locating public toilets and rating the quality of said public toilets. The Happy Toilet programme was created by the Restroom Society to promote cleaner and better designed public toilets in Singapore businesses. The Restroom Society encourages businesses to improve their public toilets as a way of improving the potential foot traffic and return business because customers are more likely to return to places with clean toilets. Under Lee Kuan Yew in 2013, the law was changed and required people to flush public toilets, with people who fail to flush a toilet being able to be given $500 fines.

In 2012, the worst public toilets tended to be located in coffee shops, markets, bus terminals, food courts and subway stations. Meanwhile, the cleanest public toilets were located in government offices, hospitals and restaurants. Toilets in Singapore were dirtier in 2020 than they were in 2016. Public toilets in coffee shops, food centers and at hawker centers had lower levels of cleanliness in 2020 compared to public toilets in other locations. Around 25% of residents said they would not use those toilets. Around 3 in 5 people in a Singapore Management University (SMU) in 2020 said toilets in these locations needed major renovations. One of the reasons some public toilets were dirty was a result of poor design of said toilets or because they were not being cleaned regularly. The cleanest toilets in Singapore in 2020 were in Marina South, Tanglin and Changi. The dirtiest toilets in Singapore in 2020 were in Tuas, Telok Blangah, and Bukit Batok.

In February 2022, a local man was found guilty of filming 37 men peeing at public urinals in Singapore located at Sentosa, Bishan Swimming Pool, Ang Mo Kio Hub and Plaza Singapura. He recorded them using a mobile phone tucked into his armpit.

Regional and global situation impacting public toilets in Singapore
Public toilet access has been used intentionally in South Asia to exclude certain segments of the population from participating in public life.