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Kaohsiung vows clean restrooms before Games

The Kaohsiung City Government is stepping up inspections of public restrooms, including those frequently used by the public in private businesses, to help clean up the city ahead of the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung.

Chen Kai-ling (陳凱凌), acting director of the city government’s Environmental Protection Bureau, said that the administration had classified public restrooms into 12 categories and would monitor them based on their classification.

Six of the categories — transportation stations, parks, markets, government offices, gas stations and schools — fall under the city’s jurisdiction and would be directly monitored by the government, Chen said.

The city government would carry out monthly inspections of restrooms in the six categories and reward workers who keep public restrooms clean with prize money and medals.

Those who fail to improve even after receiving warnings will be disciplined, Chen said.

In the other six categories — generally privately operated retail outlets or theaters — the government will conduct random checks and look into public reports of unsanitary restrooms.

The policy has encountered resistance, Chen said, as some village heads complained they did not have enough personnel to keep public toilets clean and some private companies were unwilling to cooperate with the city government.

But Chen expressed confidence that these companies could eventually be persuaded to cooperate with the government in promoting clean restrooms.

Chen said that gas stations operated by the state-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) had been cooperative and showed good discipline in maintaining clean toilets.

Chen said the city government would not condone any slothfulness in improving the quality of the city’s public toilets in its pursuit of a cleaner urban environment ahead of the 2009 World Games, which will take place between July 16 and July 26 next year.

Thousands of athletes from more than 100 countries are expected to take part in the sports event.
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