Latest news with #toilets
News24
11-08-2025
- News24
QUICK READ: Ekurhuleni's 45 000 abandoned toilet crisis - City Press investigation summary
Tebogo Letsie 'Sometimes, I have to wait for my neighbour to wake up because people lock their toilets so that the community doesn't misuse them. You can't be knocking on someone's door in the middle of the night,' laments Xolani Mokoena, resident of Madela in Ekurhuleni. Key point 45 000 toilets abandoned in Ekurhuleni informal settlements, forcing residents to share maggot-infested facilities. Officials demand R50 per toilet allocation and R10 per cleaning service as kickbacks, contractors claim. Municipal auditor Mpho Mafole was murdered in June while investigating R1.8 billion toilet contracts.
Free Malaysia Today
15-07-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Activist brings ‘green' toilet, and hope, to Sabah water village
A communal toilet (left), which looks like a wooden shed, and a more modern one belonging to one of the villagers in Kampung Bukit Besi. PETALING JAYA : For many years, activist Lina Ramsah spent her school holidays at her father's village—Kampung Bukit Besi—nestled in the waters of Beluran, Sabah. Although she always enjoyed her time there, there was one reality that Lina was unable to ignore. Despite its charm, the village—located 160km from Kota Kinabalu and accessible only by boat—has long struggled without access to clean water. Its 220 villagers, mostly fishermen, rely on Sg Labuk for their bathing and other daily needs, but the river's waters are not fit for drinking. The lack of a proper sewage system means villagers must either flush their waste directly into the river or bury it in the ground. They would also have to take a one-hour boat ride to Beluran town to buy bottled drinking water. Now, Lina believes she has the solution to Kampung Bukit Besi's decades-old problem. She wants to introduce biogas toilets. Biogas is methane-rich gas produced through the decomposition of organic waste. It is a renewable and sustainable energy source. All that is needed is for the village's existing communal and individual toilets to be retrofitted with a 'biodigester' —a closed container which will capture and store human waste, and allow it to decompose safely. The resulting biogas can be harnessed for energy, while the remaining sludge can be converted into fertiliser. The process will significantly reduce the amount of waste being discharged into the river, Lina said. NGO Beluran Hope founder Lina Ramsah (right), with her cousin, Karim, a resident of Kampung Bukit Besi, in Sabah. 'When MYbiogas told me of their project, I kept thinking how suitable it would be for Kampung Bukit Besi,' she told FMT, referring to the non-profit organisation that equips communities with biodigesters. Biogas, she said, can be used as cooking gas, a game-changer in a village where gas tanks are expensive and difficult to transport from the nearest town. With most households still relying on wood-burning stoves, biogas offers a cleaner, more accessible alternative. 'It's also good enough to replace diesel that's used in generator sets. The village has been using generators since I was a child,' said Lina, the founder of local NGO Beluran Hope. Both organisations have now joined forces to launch the biogas toilet initiative in Kampung Bukit Besi, with the first system set to be installed in the home of the village chief. Explaining the two organisations's roles, Lina said MYbiogas was contributing the technical expertise needed to install the system, while Beluran Hope is spearheading on-the-ground coordination, including managing logistics and sourcing for building materials. The project is currently being crowdfunded, with the team so far raising half of their RM10,000 goal. Lina said that the NGOs will have to use a barge to transport the necessary building materials, 'which will be a little expensive'. Another challenge, she said, is roping in the needed manpower, pointing out that it is not easy for those on the mainland to travel to the village. Despite the challenges, Lina hopes the success of the pilot project will draw funding from corporate donors and individual benefactors. 'I hope the biogas toilet will give villagers an electricity supply that is free and relieve their financial burden of having to buy diesel. 'This is not the life we should want for our fellow Malaysian citizens. It's absolutely ridiculous that some people still have to live like this.' To help in this endeavour, please channel contributions to MYbiogas Enterprise, Maybank Account No. 5624 0570 3759.
The Independent
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Gender critical campaigners demand action from government on toilet access
Gender critical campaigners have sent a further 'letter before action' to the Scottish Government, calling on ministers to make a statement on its policy around access to toilets in government properties. Sex Matters, which intervened in the For Women Scotland case against which went to the Supreme Court, are threatening a lawsuit against Scottish ministers – with the latest letter demanding action by a deadline of next Wednesday. The Supreme Court's ruling in April said the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. Sex Matters say the government must make a statement that all single-sex facilities on its estate must be interpreted as meaning biological sex. Ministers, including John Swinney, say they accept the judgment and have convened a working group to review their policies, as well as having discussions with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. The campaign group, led by Maya Forstater, sent its first letter before action in June and another was sent to Scottish Government officials on Wednesday. The latest letter gives the government seven days to respond and says: 'To the extent that the Scottish Government does not immediately stop the unlawful practices set out in this letter we may decide to commence proceedings without further warning.' It notes there are 1,016 toilets across the government's core estate, in a mixture of unisex and separate-sex facilities. The letter calls on the government to make a statement that 'all facilities designated as male or female within the Scottish Government estate are to be interpreted as meaning biological sex, and that gender-neutral options are widely available'. A Scottish Government's official responded to Sex Matters' previous letter, saying they accept the Supreme Court ruling. The letter, dated June 27, said: 'We are now taking action to implement the ruling. 'This includes the establishment of a short life working group to review existing policies, guidance and legislation which may be impacted by the judgment. 'The work of this group is under way and covers all relevant portfolios across government. 'This work is enabling us towards a state of readiness to take all necessary steps to implement the ruling.' Commenting on the campaigners' letter, Scottish Conservative MSP Tess White said: 'The SNP Government must stop dragging its heels. 'The Supreme Court ruling was crystal clear, and so was the Equalities and Human Rights Commission's guidance in the wake of it, so there is no excuse for the SNP failing to comply fully with the law now. 'Indeed, their failure to do so is leaving the Scottish Government and its public bodies open to the legal challenge Sex Matters are threatening.' The government has been approached for further comment.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gender critical campaigners demand action from government on toilet access
Gender critical campaigners have sent a further 'letter before action' to the Scottish Government, calling on ministers to make a statement on its policy around access to toilets in government properties. Sex Matters, which intervened in the For Women Scotland case against which went to the Supreme Court, are threatening a lawsuit against Scottish ministers – with the latest letter demanding action by a deadline of next Wednesday. The Supreme Court's ruling in April said the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. Sex Matters say the government must make a statement that all single-sex facilities on its estate must be interpreted as meaning biological sex. Ministers, including John Swinney, say they accept the judgment and have convened a working group to review their policies, as well as having discussions with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. The campaign group, led by Maya Forstater, sent its first letter before action in June and another was sent to Scottish Government officials on Wednesday. The latest letter gives the government seven days to respond and says: 'To the extent that the Scottish Government does not immediately stop the unlawful practices set out in this letter we may decide to commence proceedings without further warning.' It notes there are 1,016 toilets across the government's core estate, in a mixture of unisex and separate-sex facilities. The letter calls on the government to make a statement that 'all facilities designated as male or female within the Scottish Government estate are to be interpreted as meaning biological sex, and that gender-neutral options are widely available'. A Scottish Government's official responded to Sex Matters' previous letter, saying they accept the Supreme Court ruling. The letter, dated June 27, said: 'We are now taking action to implement the ruling. 'This includes the establishment of a short life working group to review existing policies, guidance and legislation which may be impacted by the judgment. 'The work of this group is under way and covers all relevant portfolios across government. 'This work is enabling us towards a state of readiness to take all necessary steps to implement the ruling.' The government has been approached for further comment.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
I used to clean toilets at Glastonbury - this is the best time to use it
Glastonbury Festival is well underway, with 210,000 festivalgoers making their way to the iconic venue in Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset. With so many people in attendance, two things usually remain firmly planted in the back of people's minds - hygiene and toilets. Every year the toilets are rammed with people, and the hygiene rapidly spirals out of control, but beauty specialist Cult Beauty has spoken with a former Glastonbury toilet cleaner to get some essential insider tips. Read more: State pension £11,973 warning to anyone turning 65 soon Timing toilet trips can be a bit of a juggling act in of itself, with massive queues and a relentless line-up of acts people won't want to miss. The former volunteer said: "The best and quietest time to use the toilets is 12am because most of the big acts have finished, although the festival is still busy," the volunteer says. "They will also have had 18 hours of cleaning throughout the day, so they'll be in really good condition.' 'My next tip would be: don't go to the campsite toilets just after an act has finished their set as they will be absolutely packed and will see a lot of use at this time. "Finally, don't go first thing in the morning before 6am as no one will have been on shift to upkeep them since 12am, and the first time they'll be getting cleaned is 6am. Try to wait around till about 7am once they've been cleaned but before the big queues start!' They continued: 'The best toilets to visit at Glastonbury are those near the main stage, also known as the Pyramid Stage' despite them being busier, they tend to put more people on to keep these cleaner. "Also, definitely opt for using the compostable toilets over the long drops, as they're typically much easier to keep clean.' 'I would say that some toilets are cleaned less regularly. The worst ones I would say are the ones that are further out around the outskirts of the site, as they can sometimes be difficult to find and aren't cleaned as often, however, they also aren't used as frequently.' 'The best toilets and showers however, will always be the ones on the paid-for accommodation campsites like Worthy View as they're cleaned by an external cleaning company regularly, if you're willing to pay for it.' Regarding hygiene, they added: 'It's important to rely on having your own hand sanitiser. "There are hundreds of thousands of people using the hand sanitiser supplied by Glastonbury throughout the day and sometimes it just can't be replenished quick enough, so make sure you have your own on you at all times!'
