Nearly 700 public toilets in Guangzhou are now free, according to Lu Zhiyi, director of the city's environment and sanitation bureau.

 

Guangzhou has now 677 free public toilets out of the total 783, and the rest, mostly located between the downtown area and the suburbs, will also be made free of charge when conditions permit, he said.

 

Citizens had been paying attendants 0.2 yuan (0.02 U.S. dollar) for each visit to a public toilet. The fees were raised mainly to fund the management of the toilets.

 

Guangzhou plans to build another 100 public toilets this year in densely populated areas of the city.

 

In Beijing, public toilets in the downtown area became free in March 2002.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2007)