The Ministry of Environment yesterday called for the public to abandon squat toilets and switch to seated toilets.
Many elderly people can no longer use squat toilets, so switching to seated toilets is very important, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said at an event in Taipei unveiling a new toilet-themed art installation as part of efforts to promote seated toilets and encourage people to flush toilet paper.
Additionally, environmental and bacterial contamination in the bathroom from squat toilets is thousands of times greater than that of sitting toilets, he said.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Peng said that Taiwan’s toilets are split evenly between types, but the ministry’s goal is to increase the proportion of sitting toilets to 80 percent within a few years. There are 45,000 public restrooms across Taiwan, and efforts would be made to assist the changeover to seated toilets, he said, adding that guidelines are being established for government agencies for the switch.
Friends of Daan Forest Park Foundation managing director Tsai Chien-sheng (蔡建生) said that many countries generally use seated toilets, and some visitors from Europe or the US have never used squat toilets in their lives.
“When they visit Taiwan and open the bathroom door, they may be shocked,” he said, adding Taiwan is the only country in Asia still adding squat toilets.
Toilet displays are aimed at showing the public how to avoid clogging toilets and other related principles, he said.
Peng said that keeping bathrooms comfortable and clean is very important.
In the past, various kinds of debris were often found in septic tanks, Peng said, adding that the ministry has been promoting flushing toilet paper down the toilet, but not facial tissues or other items, to reduce the need for trash bins in bathrooms.
“The toilet is not a trash can,” he said.
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