WASHROOM
bidet functions, Tork EasyCube has the capacity to greatly improve hygiene efficiency in public washrooms. Where janitorial teams know in advance which dispensers need refilling, they will avoid unnecessary maintenance checks and free up more time to concentrate on other cleaning tasks.
“SINCE 1990 THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE
WITH ACCESS TO SANITATION HAS RISEN FROM 54% TO 68%.”
being recognised and projects are springing up in developing countries to encourage this practice.
For example an organisation called ‘Clean the World’ collects partially-used and discarded soap from hotel washrooms and recycles it into millions of new bars. This is then distributed by Global Soap to people around the world who lack access to this facility.
There are a number of other, non- technological trends that are shaping today’s toilets and are likely to continue to influence the washrooms of tomorrow. For example, unisex washrooms are becoming more common in environments such as trendy inner-city bars where the customer base is young and where space is limited. Meanwhile, university campuses – in the US and Canada in particular - have seen a number of
The standard of public washrooms will also continue to rise as a result of today’s “review culture”. Our new tendency to post any toilet horrors on social media sites –along with the plethora of “find a clean toilet” apps that are now available online – have led to a situation where we are less likely to tolerate poor standards in our public loos.
This new fastidiousness has created an environment in which chains such as 2theloo can flourish. This upmarket chain of toilet stores charges customers a small sum to use a spotlessly clean toilet in a high street environment – a price that increasing numbers of people appear willing to pay for such a facility.
While standards have been rising in western washrooms, the situation has been gradually improving in less-developed areas too. Since 1990 the number of people worldwide with access to improved sanitation has risen from 54% to 68%. Meanwhile a number of global projects have been working on waterless washrooms and sustainable facilities that could revolutionise sanitation in less developed areas.
Earlier this year for example, UK researchers created a self- sustaining nano-membrane toilet that removes water from human waste to create solids that could be used as fuel or fertiliser.
A second team has developed a waterless lavatory incorporating a biodegradable liner that “wraps” human waste. The Loowatt toilet pulls the waste and liner into a cartridge and this is later turned into biogas to power electric lights, batteries or gas cookers.
And the fact remains that cleanliness and hygiene are the most important qualities in any toilet, however high-tech it might happen to be. All washroom surfaces need to be kept clean, while well-stocked dispensers for soap, toilet paper and hand towels need to be provided to ensure good hand hygiene practices.
Even in areas where toilets are not readily available the importance of hand washing with soap is
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gender-inclusive washrooms opening up with some regions banning gender- specific washrooms completely.
Meanwhile, parent-and-baby washrooms are replacing traditional mother-and-child facilities since it is accepted that today’s fathers carry out more parenting duties. The number of unisex, father-and-baby and gender- inclusive washrooms may well grow as our society becomes more equal and increasingly tolerant.
There remain major discrepancies in washroom standards throughout the globe, as some cultures pioneer sophisticated, high-tech systems while others struggle on with no sanitation at all. However, if strides continue to be made in the developing world – and if the all-important requirement of hygiene is kept front and centre in every new development – the future of washrooms looks bright.
www.sca.com/uk TOMORROW’S FM | 47
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