We’ve all been there, needing to use a public toilet in Hong Kong only to find it in a terribly unhygienic condition. In fact, a survey conducted by The Chinese University of Hong Kong in March 2020 revealed that 58% of 1,006 respondents aged 18 or above considered public toilets in Hong Kong to be unsanitary, with particular concerns surrounding the unavailability of flushing water, foul odours and wet floors. This is certainly not a good image for Hong Kong, especially as a prime a tourist spot in Asia. The reason for the poor condition is mainly a lack of staff to maintain cleanliness and inefficient resource management. As cleaning staff wages are relatively low and the job itself considered unglamorous, it is difficult to recruit and maintain a steady workforce. And although the Government’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has engaged dedicated cleaning teams since March 2019, it is costly and obviously still insufficient to maintain good hygiene standards. On top of this, resources can still be easily wasted as only a small percentage of public toilets have high utilization rates (i.e. with a daily average of over 300 visitors). Innovations in smart devices, however, can be used to resolve these issues. In this blog, we will take a closer look at how smart hygiene technology can be used to improve Hong Kong’s poor public toilet hygiene and operational efficiency.
The Government has been aware of the cleanliness issues of public toilets for quite some time and, since 2000, the FEHD has implemented an on-going Public Toilet Refurbishment Programme (PTRP) to improve the design and facilities of public toilets. Despite this, only 34% of public toilets are equipped with automatic flushing sensors and there are still complaints about hygiene conditions which reflects there is still room to improve.
This is where technology can be employed to not only improve cleanliness but also solve cleaning staff recruitment issues. Smart cleaning solutions, such as GF Technovation’s smart toilet system apply a “clean-on-demand” concept to best utilize resources. Let’s take a closer look at this innovative solution here.
A smart toilet system combines smart toilets, smart soap dispensers and smart toilet roll dispensers. The smart toilet itself uses a ceiling sensor with Wi-Fi connectivity which collects real-time data such people counting, ammonia levels, fall detection and vacancy indication. This data is sent to facility management to give an overview of the cleanliness and usage of the restroom without the need for on-site inspection. This means cleaners can be dispatched as and when they are needed, hence the idea of “clean-on-demand”. Taking cleaners off fixed schedules means fewer need to be employed, helping to solve recruitment issues but also improving hygiene as those on duty are only dispatched to the restrooms which actually need cleaning.
Smart soap and toilet roll dispensers also form part of the smart toilet system. These dispensers are fitted with IoT sensors to alert management as to when they need replenishing. Again, eliminating the need for fixed rounds to check on the levels of these consumables but also ensuring users never go without while only dispensing the required amounts, thus reducing waste.
The data collected from the entire smart toilet system is also invaluable for planning for future demands.
Smart toilet systems are easy to install with no recurring costs and help to provide positive experiences for users and with the Government allocating HK$600 million under the Enhanced PTRP for refurbishment or facelifting works in around 240 public toilets by phases between 2019-2020 and 2023-2024, it is imperative it considers the use of technology to improve public health and the maintain the image of Hong Kong to visitors while also following the principles of Hong Kong’s Smart City Blueprint.
As the Government strives to improves the cleanliness and operational efficiency of public toilets in Hong Kong, smart toilet systems will undoubtedly offer a great deal of benefits in terms of lower costs, reduced waste and improved user experience. To learn more about the system as well as GF Technovation’s other smart solutions, visit the site here.
