public toilets

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Ratings for These 'Smart' Toilets Are 'Through the Roof'

Tech-driven restrooms offer privacy, accountability, rapid deployment for cities

(Newser) - America's public restroom shortage is so dire the country now ranks 30th globally, sharing the spot with Botswana. Building more traditional bathrooms isn't the simple answer, though, as upkeep and misuse quickly turn new facilities into cautionary tales. Enter "smart" restrooms, an experiment led by the...

Women Win 'Urination Equality' Fight in Amsterdam

City will start installing more public toilets in October after years of protests

(Newser) - It's been almost a decade since Geerte Piening, a 21-year-old student living in Amsterdam, got fined for peeing in public after she couldn't find an accessible loo late at night. Now, women there are celebrating after a long fight to set up more public toilets in the Dutch...

After Police Chase, Golfers Trap Suspect in Port-a-Potty

Golf course in the Wisconsin city of Glendale saw a bit of excitement this week

(Newser) - A run-in with law enforcement drove a suspect in Wisconsin into the stinkiest hiding place he could find—both figuratively and literally. WISN reports that police in Glendale embarked on a chase Wednesday of an SUV stolen from Minnesota, which crashed into multiple cars, traffic barrels, and a guardrail before...

San Francisco Was Going to Spend $1.7M on Single-Toilet Public Restroom

Although, that plan may be changing after uproar

(Newser) - Ever since the Noe Valley Town Square opened in San Francisco in 2016, families have been urging the city to install a bathroom in the plaza. San Francisco says it's going to do just that. At a cost of $1.7 million. By 2025. The odd story surfaced courtesy...

New Anti-Sex Toilets Will Cost Town $200K

Porthcawl's robo-toilet plan is garnering media attention

(Newser) - Like public toilets? You're in a minority, but if so, consider a trip to the Welsh town of Porthcawl—where officials are planning some pretty extreme robo-toilets in Griffin Park, Wales Online reports. The new loos will offer security features designed to hinder violence, vandalism, sleeping, and anything two...

Beijing Brings in 'Toilet Revolution'

It includes facial recognition toilet paper dispensers

(Newser) - Fed up with the theft of toilet paper from public bathrooms, tourism authorities in China's capital have begun using facial recognition technology to limit how much paper a person can take. The unusual move—part of a "toilet revolution"—is another step in China's vast upgrading...

An Indian City Is Paying People to Use Its Toilets

Officials hope the offer deters public defecation in Ahmedabad

(Newser) - Going to the bathroom isn't just universal. In one Indian city, it's also lucrative. Officials in Ahmedabad are paying residents to use public toilets in an effort to keep open areas free of urine and human waste. Their slogan: "Take a pee and get a rupee."...

Almost All the Bathrooms in This Country Are 'Wrong'

Rick Paulas explains why

(Newser) - You have until tomorrow to vote on the winner of this year's " America's Best Restroom " contest, but Rick Paulas has news for you—nearly all of the bathrooms in America are complete failures. He runs down his reasoning at Pacific Standard :
  • The toilet: It's actually
...

Get Paid $100 a Day... to Review Public Toilets

ToiletFinder.com looking for a copywriter

(Newser) - Need some extra cash? If you live in New York and are willing to spend a lot of time in public restrooms, you can earn $100 a day for reviewing the facilities, the Daily Dot reports. Michael Li, the creator of ToiletFinder.com , which helps people find nearby restrooms, makes...

New Rule for Beijing Public Toilets: Only 2 Flies

China's capital seeks to clean up bathrooms

(Newser) - The Chinese government is implementing new rules to spruce up its capital city's notoriously dirty public bathrooms. The weirdest of the bunch: a toilet in Beijing can be home to a maximum of two flies, reports the BBC . It's not clear how rigidly the measures will be enforced,...

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