EAT, DRINK, BUT MAYBE GIVE THE TOILET A MISS: SINGAPORE'S PUBLIC TOILET STRATEGY, CHALLENGES, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Abstract

Singapore is famous for its food, yet the public toilets at hawker centres – where the best of our local cuisines can be found – are consistently rated the worst. As Singapore continues to promote itself as a world-class city with efficient governance, the fact that the cleanliness of public toilets can remain stagnant for so long despite the efforts of both government and civic society demonstrates that a rethink of how public toilets are being managed is required.

This study aims to explore and recommend a sustainable, “one-size-fits-most” model for managing public toilets to achieve greater public toilet cleanliness outcomes. To do so, the research also seeks to understand the current state of public toilets, the various models employed, as well as successful models overseas to build a basic knowledge framework for subsequent studies to build upon.

To do so, qualitative methods were primarily adopted to address the knowledge gap in the local public toilet scene. This took the form of a case study on hawker centre public toilets and the various models of management. A survey was also conducted to complement the qualitative findings.

The findings have shown that cost considerations, lack of training, social stigma and morale, and user behaviour are the four key challenges faced in achieving clean hawker centre public toilets. Furthermore, four key aspects of holistic toilet management, namely design, technology, education, and financial sustainability were also uncovered.

Based on these findings, two models of public toilet management were briefly proposed. Four limitations were also identified, chief of which is the study’s lack of depth, a trade-off made for the breadth of areas covered.