David Rowell‘s weekly newsletter alerts me to the story that Singapore has launched a Happy Toilet initiative

Singapore’s public toilets will be judged this month on cleanliness, design, construction and daily maintenance criteria, including the supply of toilet paper.



Association president Jack Sim told The Straits Times there are three grades for loos – three, four and five stars. Singapore is the first in the world to adopt this system, the report said.



Washrooms that are clean and well-designed, with facilities for handicapped users and clothing hooks, will be allowed to put up the “Happy Toilet” logo, he said.



The National Environment Agency last month cleaned up 29,000 public toilets in Singapore as part of the effort to contain the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

It’s already illegal in Singapore to fail to flush a public toilet after use.