Beijing authorities have set a new standard for their public toilets, including a requirement that only two flies should be buzzing around them at one time.
The Chinese capitol has long been known for their unkempt restrooms, so the new rules, which were set by The Beijing Municipal Commission of City Administration and Environment, also include a standard on odor and cleanliness of trash cans, according to The Daily Mail .
Xie Guomin is the official in charge of the new initiative. He stated, according to The Daily Mail , that the two-fly rule is not compulsory, but is actually a benchmark set out to improve Beijing’s notoriously awful public toilets. Guomin stated that:
“We will not actually count fly numbers. The regulation is specific and quantified, but the inspection methodology will be flexible.”
The BBC’s Michael Bristow writes about the Beijing public restrooms that:
“The word cleaning seems misplaced when applied to a public lavatory in Beijing. Dirty grey mops are occasionally dragged across a toilet floor, but not to any great effect. There is seldom toilet paper – or soap to wash your hands.”
He goes on to say, however, that:
“There is a serious side to these regulations though. Many people still do not have their own toilet—and have no choice but to use public conveniences. For them, these rules might make an unavoidable daily necessity a touch more palatable.”
The BBC reports that a similar rule was implemented in 2008 for the summer Olympic Games, however sanitation still varied from restroom to restroom. Along with implementing rules, they report that effort should be invested to educate the public on how to use the public restrooms in a better manner.
[iframe src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZRPXl98GEw0″ width=”560″ height=”315″]