Repairing and maintaining existing toilets is more sustainable than adding new ones. Design firm Recycle Bin (known for conducting the International Toilet Fest) believes in it and Toilet Repair Cafe (TRC) has entered its second year since inception.
Launched as a pilot programme in Triplicane with 23 public toilets, the initiative is gearing up to cover a new set of toilets in the Chepauk constituency.
Under this initiative started in association with Cheer NGO, WASHlab and Greater Chennai Corporation, a centralised hub has been established for all toilet maintenance needs. A vehicle is pressed into service to carry out cleaning work at designated toilets, and also attend to complaints raised by residents through a common helpline number.
“Instead of building new infrastructure every now and then, we should work on improving and empowering the human resources around the toilet. That thinking got us started on TRC,” says Shebin George, an architect with Recycle Bin. The team is working on building a skill bank from the community. “These are people who are trained in various aspects of toilet maintenance so that it generates employment for them. For example, someone who has graduated from an ITI can be a toilet coordinator,” says Shebin.
