For a long time in the cities there was no full sewage. Sewage was often thrown directly onto the street, which, of course, led not only to permanent stench and dirt, but also to the development of serious infectious diseases, sometimes escalating into vast epidemics.
Therefore, the role played by the first public toilets is hard to overestimate. They not only allowed to clear the streets of big cities, but also literally saved the lives of many people.
A bit of history
The first public toilets appeared in Russia only in the 19th century. So, in St. Petersburg in 1871, a latrine was erected, called a "retiree", near the Mikhailovsky Manege. It was a house built over a cesspool, in which a small Russian stove was placed for heating.
Success inspired, and a little later, the city authorities built another 42 of the same toilets. All of them gravitated to the places where the largest number of people gathered - markets, the central area of the city, squares and parks. The initiative was gradually picked up by other Russian cities.
Types of public toilets (natural)
Depending on the method by which sewage is removed, the following types of public toilets are distinguished - natural, dry closets, chemical and sewer.
- In places where there is no centralized sewage system, the so-called natural toilets successfully operate. They are a small cabin built over a cesspool. To do this, a flooring is made over it with a hole (a point) cut through it, into which those who wish can cope with the need. In order for fresh air to enter the cabin, a small ventilation hole is usually made in the door. Feces are periodically sprinkled with soil or peat in order to improve their biological processing and slightly reduce the unpleasant odor. And the filled cesspool is periodically cleaned with the help of a sewage machine or manually.
- In dry closets, peat is used for waste disposal, so that the contents gradually turn into compost suitable for fertilizing plants. In contrast, chemical toilets recycle waste using reagents and therefore they prefer to use it, for example, at construction sites or during festivals.
- Sewer toilets - this is the prerogative of places with a centralized sewage system that allows you to remove feces with a stream of water.
Public Toilets Requirements
Growing cities require more and more public restrooms. The construction of such buildings requires a serious approach, which should take into account not only the location, but also the sufficiency of power (it is believed that there should be 0.3 devices per 1000 people).
When designing, it is required to observe certain sizes of public toilets, which proceed from the fact that for each toilet, at least 2.5 m is required, and for each urinal, at least 1.5 meters of the territory. The height of the premises implies 3.2 m in separate buildings, and in built-in or underground structures, it should be at least 2.8 m.
Where can I put public toilets?
Certain rules are also prescribed for the place where public restrooms can be placed.
So, according to sanitary requirements, their installation in residential buildings, in school and pre-school children's institutions, as well as in complexes of buildings reserved for medical and preventive or sanitary-epidemiological institutions, is not allowed.
Toilets in public buildings that receive a large number of visitors are installed at a distance of no more than 75 m from the most remote place where people are constantly located. And in stadiums this distance should not exceed 150 m from the place of playing sports or from the farthest place in the stands.
Mobile toilet stalls are recommended to be placed no closer than 50 meters from public and residential buildings. A similar requirement, by the way, applies to stationary toilets.
Designation of public toilets
To designate a toilet in a public place, different signs are used in different cities and countries. In addition to the inscription “Toilet”, in Europe it can be the letters WC (abbreviated water closet).
And in hotels and public toilets located on the floor, are designated by OO, which means - this room is not numbered. True, many believe that such an inscription came from the English army, where the toilet rooms for officers were so labeled (Officers Only).
In addition, in parallel public toilets are used the designations of the departments for men and women - “M” and “F” or “M” and “W” (in English). In some cases, instead of inscriptions, pictograms or images are used that are either related to the toilet theme or the floor of the visitor.
Public toilets for any gender
Recently, more and more latrines do not suggest gender differences for their visitors. That is, on the premises allotted for this type of service, less and less you can see signs that these are public men's toilets or women's.
Such changes are connected with the fact that the possibility of visiting latrines only by persons of a certain gender creates some difficulties. For example, men single-handedly caring for a baby may find that a changing table is only available in the ladies' room. The father of the growing girl can also face a problem - either let the small child go to the female half himself, or take her with him to the male. Agree: both options are equally inconvenient.
Toilets for people of both sexes are built with a large dressing room, where you can wash your hands and put your clothes in order, and with the room where the closed booths are located. This allows both men and women not to embarrass each other.
Plumbing for public toilets
Requirements for plumbing equipment for public toilets do not depend on how many visitors they are designed for at the same time - it should be anti-vandal and easy to wash.
And the most popular in this regard is the toilet for public toilets - the bowl "Genoa". It is a rectangular product made of cast iron, steel or ceramic, with special notches for the legs and an elongated container in the middle, which involves squatting. And this has undoubted advantages, since the visitor does not need to touch the surfaces with anything other than shoes.
Unlike other types of toilets, the Genoa bowl is reliable and has a very long shelf life.
Toilets can be beautiful
Nowadays, public toilets are gradually ceasing to be places where you want to jump out as soon as possible. In many cities around the world, these rooms have become architectural attractions.
- So, in Tel Aviv (Israel), round orange stalls, more like oranges than toilet rooms, delight the eye. And in Gdansk (Poland), the historical part of the city was decorated with a structure similar to a raindrop, which harmoniously blended with the local flavor.
- Japanese architects have created 17 types of public toilets for Hiroshima parks, made in the origami style, but at the same time cast from concrete. They are painted in bright colors and serve as a decoration of the area.
- And in the city of Uster (Switzerland), the toilet resembles a cube covered in scaly snake skin. This effect was achieved by interlocking about 300 aluminum strips painted with different shades of green.
- The toilet in the center of Austin (Texas, USA) is located next to the avenue that runners have chosen for themselves. It looks more like an installation from wooden boards than a toilet, which makes it perfectly fit into the surrounding landscape.
- And in Wellington's beach area (New Zealand), toilets look like sea monsters with long corrugated tails. These tails, by the way, are natural ventilation for the room.
- But the most beautiful one can safely be called a female public toilet at the Shoi Tabuchi Theater (USA). It looks more like a room of a chic palace, laden with flowers. The mirrors are set in massive bronze frames, and there are even rocking chairs for those who want to relax.
And yet there aren’t enough public toilets
But still, according to the UN, every day about 2.5 billion people in the world suffer from a lack of public toilets. Moreover, the staff of this organization recognized the named situation as close to catastrophic.
After all, even where there are latrines, they often find themselves in a terrible state, which is why people who use them risk their health. And women and children, visiting public toilets, often become victims of violence in them. As a result, many people are forced to relieve the need for places that are not adapted for this, which, of course, has a negative impact on the epidemiological and environmental situation in the world.
Public toilets in Moscow
In this sense, Moscow is no exception. We are arriving, and it is very difficult for the residents of the city to find a place where they can help. Indeed, many existing public restrooms are simply inconspicuous. They have not only advertising, but even easily recognizable signs. Obviously, this is due to the fact that the staff is absolutely not interested in increasing the number of visitors.
Since the mid-90s, blue plastic toilet stalls (which were mistakenly called dry closets) were brought to Moscow. Most of them were gradually transferred into operation by entrepreneurs. And although the advantages of such latrines are obvious - they are mobile, do not take up much space, are inexpensive, and perfectly pay for themselves for a couple of months - they are still too few for a huge city. This, in the end, leads to the fact that the "blue booths" quickly turn into an unusable place.
To correct the situation, new modular toilets are called on, which since 2013 began to appear in Moscow. They are equipped with light, hot water, a self-cleaning system, soap, a mirror and even a panic button, with which you can call the police or ambulance.
A few words in the end
Largely by the way public toilets are equipped, one can judge the level of culture and development of the state.
The ability to satisfy your physiological needs in comfortable conditions is a sign of concern for citizens. And the way citizens relate to the preservation of property and maintaining order in such institutions can tell a lot about their upbringing, education and hygiene habit. It is a pity if public restrooms are the source of only unpleasant experiences.