ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Indonesian people are being given a challenge: design a public toilet.

The gauntlet has been thrown down by the Indonesian Toilet Association which aims promote healthier and more environmentally-focused public facilities.

According to a recent Water Aid study Indonesia comes second only to India in terms of numbers of people who defecate in the open. The Indonesian Toilet Association has been campaigning since its inception in 2001 for higher standards for public loos.

"A nation without good toilets is a nation without culture," claims the association's founder Naning Adisowo. "Dirty toilets are a national embarrassment. This competition wants to provide a solution for the government for a good toilet, especially in tourist areas."

Entries should be eco-friendly and ideally use less water and energy than traditional models. The winning designs will be used by the nation's tourism, transport and environment and forestry ministries to create hygienic and eco-friendly public toilets. Prizes totaling Rp 300 million (21,211 Euro) will be awarded across six categories.

Interior designer Adisowo set up the Indonesian Toilet Association after being invited to the World Toilet Organisation-sanctioned World Toilet Forum in 1999. Association representatives regularly travel around the nation to inspect the quality of toilets both in private and state buildings. They also visit schools and universities to educate students about the importance of good toilet behaviour and ecological sanitation.

However, the issue of sanitation remains a problem for Indonesia with recent reports claiming that 63 million nationals are still living without proper toilets.