SINGAPORE: An exasperated local Reddit user lamented the sorry state of some bathrooms in Singapore, asking why toilets at MRT stations are “so filthy”, even though the country has the budget to keep them clean.
In a post on r/askSingapore late last week, u/Scarface6342 listed the faults of MRT toilets, including the lack of toilet paper refills, tissue packets scattered all over the floor, and urine everywhere.
“Is this a cultural issue of people not caring or is there not enough cleaners?” they asked, adding that they had had an urgent need to use the bathroom on their way to work, but when they did so at the MRT station, they were “appalled” by the dirtiness of the toilet.
The post author added that in contrast, when they had visited Taiwan, South Korea, and “even Vietnam, a random toilet is even cleaner than the MRT toilets”.
They also don’t believe that it’s a budget issue, adding, “I know this is a first-world problem, but we are one of the richest Asian countries. Can we not have basic hygiene in the toilets?”
A commenter who received a lot of upvotes seemed to agree that instead of a budget problem, it’s a matter of perspective.
“It’s a ‘not my house, so not my responsibility’ kind of mindset, and they know there will be someone cleaning up after them. Basically selfish and inconsiderate users.”
Another pointed out, however, that while this is by no means a new problem, toilets seemed to be cleaned more frequently in the past.
However, another countered this by writing, “Instead of expecting cleaners to constantly clean up after them, why not have some basic civility to at least minimise the mess? At the rate the toilets get dirtied, no amount of cleaning can keep up.”
“This is the typical attitude that most Singaporeans have. I mean, look at Japan, the people take care of things outside their homes, thus clean toilets that the cleaners maintain. In Singapore, they have to clean,” a commenter chimed in.
Another had this to say about Taiwan: “The ironic thing is in Taiwan, due to the constraints of their sewerage system, you can’t throw toilet paper in the toilet bowl. Have to throw it in a bin next to the bowl, so even though their system is more backward, their toilet etiquette is excellent. Always find their toilets clean. Perhaps it’s due to their education system where school children have to participate in cleaning up their school, and this includes cleaning toilets.”
“It’s people not caring. Applies to both locals and long-staying foreigners. I went to a toilet/shower at ECP. A mom just showered her toddler and simply left the soaked diaper on the floor. Overlooked? Forgot? Maybe after dressing the child, they’d come back for the diaper. Nope. I used the toilet/shower again a couple of hours later. The diaper was still there,” contributed another.
“It takes less than an hour before toilets become filthy after cleaning,” a commenter observed. /TISG