A thoughtfully designed public toilet at Pak Shek Kok promenade near Hong Kong’s Science Park has been named the best in the city this year.

The Hong Kong Toilet Association on Friday unveiled the annual survey results of the best and worst public restrooms, saying such service was particularly important as the city reopened for international travellers.

“Many international tourists are visiting Hong Kong, and if the lavatories are unsatisfactory that would really impact Hong Kong’s image,” said Henry Hung, founding member and former president of the association.

This year’s five awards went to three best government-managed toilets, the best facility at public transit and the best at a shopping centre.

The Pak Shek Kok toilet is well-lit thanks to its glass ceiling and has phone charging stations and fountains for cyclists passing on the nearby bike path.

“This public toilet coming in the first place is a well-deserved win,” Hung said. “It met all of our CASH requirements – comfort, accessibility, safety and hygiene. All facilities are touchless and there are real plants in the lavatory.”

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The Ma Liu Shui Waterfront and the Hoi Ning Street public toilets came in as first and second runners-up, respectively. Both are hygienic and comfortable, despite the busy traffic.

All top three facilities are managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

The award for the best lavatory at public transit facilities went to one at the airport for its four-in-one sink that combines sensor-activated tap, hand dryer, and soap and hand towel tissue dispensers.

Kai Tak Airside won the best toilet at a shopping centre award thanks to its 1,000 sq ft babycare lounge that comes with breast-feeding rooms, diaper-changing stations, bottle warmers and sterilisers.

The survey also found that two toilets located in the Sai Ying Pun market and on Catchick Street in Sai Wan were “in desperate need of improvement”, with William So, the association’s chairman, calling the latter “tragic”.

“The floors are all wet with a lot of old stains that can’t be washed away,” he said. “The only way to get rid of them would be to replace the tiles. Many facilities, such as some of the pipes, are broken and can cause cuts to humans.”

He also said that the hand dryer was covered in rust and out of operation, adding users could easily slip on the wet floor.

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Peggy Tsui, the association’s vice-president, said they inspected the lavatories regularly and not just for the survey.

“So we would know which ones could be shortlisted to be included in a vote,” she said. “But we are not relying purely on our panel. We also involved the public in voting, and we then had another round of inspection with six to seven people [before deciding on the results].”

So added the association made a proposal to the government to have all public toilets be managed by the department, as opposed to having some run by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

“This is because those managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department are much better,” he said. “They have the heart to run them.”

The “lowest bid wins” principle adopted by contractors in managing public toilets should be changed, he argued.

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Addressing the frequent long queues at women’s washrooms, Hung said that while they applauded the ratio of 1:2 for male and female toilets the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department applied, they suggested 1:2.5 to further ease the high demand.

The association also described temporary toilets in country parks as an eyesore, urging authorities to apply for funding to improve such facilities.

Hung said that even with improved facilities, their management would need more effort. He also highlighted the importance of raising awareness about public hygiene.

“However beautiful a toilet is built is useless if users do not flush and upkeep the facilities,” he said. “We will have to educate our citizens from a young age as this is something that will take time.”

The department has previously announced projects to refurbish more than 110 public toilets between 2022 and 2024, including improving layouts, extending external walls, renovating facilities, revamping ventilation and lighting systems and replacing cubicle panels and tiles.

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