KUCHING: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) will introduce the ‘Star Rating Toilets’ system for all public toilets under its jurisdiction soon, said its public health and licensing standing committee chairman Councillor Taufik Abdul Ghani.
IT’S CLEAN: (From left) MBKS Deputy Mayor Abang Affandi Annuar as well as councillors Irwan Zulkarnain, Ujang Hinang, Kilat Beriak and Taufik give their approval to a toilet at tHe Spring.
However, he did not say whether MBKS would impose penalties on toilet users or owners of premises who failed the standard of the rating system.
“This star rating will be good for the image of premises, and at the same time it will provide awareness to the members of the public to ensure they will practise good hygiene,” Taufik told the media while visiting tHe Spring shopping mall yesterday.
He said the system would be implemented in phases and no time frame has been set.
“It will be launched by the mayor soon. Currently we are introducing this system in tourist centres and public places, such as shopping malls, shopping complexes and food outlets,” he said.
Taufik explained that the rating would be from one to five stars to indicate the cleanliness level of the toilets.
He stressed that the star rating would be part of the cleanliness standard which MBKS uses to determine the grading of food outlets from Grade A to C, with the number of stars given to determine the grade assigned.
“Cleanliness in public toilets is the responsibility of everyone not just the management of shopping complexes but also the members of the public.
“If everybody wants to have a clean toilet, then it only makes sense if everybody ensures that toilets are clean at all times. Only then the toilets will be clean at all times,” said Taufik.
Besides tHe Spring, the team also visited toilets at King’s Centre.
Taufik cited toilets in Thailand as always being clean because of the people’s attitudes.
Meanwhile, general manager of PE Land Sdn Bhd, which manages tHe Spring, Joanna Ling said management spent an average of RM5,000 per month to maintain the six toilets in the mall.
Management also has to spend an average of RM1,000 to repair vandalised toilets every month.
“To ensure our visitors use clean toilets, we are currently employing 25 cleaners to service the whole shopping complex,” she said.