User:JustinePorto/Public toilets in Costa Rica

Public toilets in Costa Rica
Example alt text
A toilet for workers at a coffee plantation
Language of toilets
Local wordsbaños
aseo
váter
retrete
servicio
lavabo
sanitarios
regadera
bidé
tina
lavamanos
orinal
Men's toiletshombres
caballeros
señores
varones
Women's toiletsmujeres
damas
señoras
Public toilet statistics
Toilets per 100,000 people??? (2021)
Total toilets??
Public toilet use
TypeWestern style sit toilet
Locationsfast food restaurants
petrol stations
beaches
Average cost???
Often equipped with???
Percent accessible???
Date first modern public toilets???
.

Public toilets in Costa Rica are rare. Outside the capital San José, most tend to be found at fast food restaurants and petrol stations. Toilet paper is rarely provided, and the septic systems would have issues handling it if provided.

Public toilets

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Public toilets are very rare in Costa Rica.[1][2][3][4] Most are found in major cities like San Jose or along major roads, and are located in petrol stations and restaurants who will only allow their customers to access them.[3][4] Outside San José, the most common places to find toilets that are accessible to members of the public are at fast food places and petrol stations.[1] There are public toilets on the beach at Puntarenas.[5]

The typical charge to use a public toilet is ₡500.[6] The most common type of toilet is a sit toilet, and most do not provide toilet paper .[4][6] Even if they did, most places in Costa Rica do not have a sanitation system that can handle toilet paper being put in toilets.[4]

Regional and global situation impacting public toilets in Costa Rica

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Baño is the most common way to say toilet in Spanish speaking countries.  Other words for toilet include aseo, váter, retrete, servicio, lavabo, sanitarios, regadera, bidé, tina, lavamanos and orinal.  Men's toilets are called hombres, while women's toilets are called mujeres.  Unisex toilets are called baño unisex.  Toilet paper is called papel higiénico.[7]

Around 2.5 billion people around the world in 2018 did not have access to adequate toilet facilities.  Around 4.5 billion people lacked access to proper sanitation.[8] Public toilet access around the world is most acute in the Global South, with around 3.6 billion people, 40% of the world's total population, lacking access to any toilet facilities.  2.3 people in the the Global South do not have toilet facilities in their residence.  Despite the fact that the United Nation made a declaration in 2010 that clean water and sanitation is a human right, little has been done in many places towards addressing this on a wider level.[9]

Sit flush toilets are the most common type of toilet in Latin America and South America.[10] Most countries in Latin and South America do not have the sanitation infrastructure to support toilet paper being flushed.  Trash cans are typically put next to the toilet to allow for easy disposal of toilet paper.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b Costa Rica: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. 1999. ISBN 978-1-85828-337-1.
  2. ^ Mays, Buddy (1999). Berlitz Costa Rica. Berlitz Publishing Company. ISBN 978-2-8315-7007-5.
  3. ^ a b McNeil, Jean; Guides (Firm), Rough (2005). The Rough Guide to Costa Rica. Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-84353-429-7.
  4. ^ a b c d Drew, Keith; McNeil, Jean; Horak, Steven; Guides (Firm), Rough (2011-09-01). The Rough Guide to Costa Rica. Rough Guides UK. ISBN 978-1-84836-906-1.
  5. ^ Banting, Larissa (2006-09-30). Costa Rica: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-84162-134-0.
  6. ^ a b "Public Toilet Charges around the World - Toilet Types & Local Names". QS Supplies. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  7. ^ "Where is the Toilet in Spanish: 10 Easy Ways to Ask Politely". Berlitz. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  8. ^ Associated Press (19 November 2018). "World Toilet Day Highlights Global Sanitation Crisis". VOA. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  9. ^ Glassman, Stephanie; Firestone, Julia (May 2022). "Restroom Deserts: Where to go when you need to go" (PDF). AARP.
  10. ^ a b admin (2015-05-18). "Toilets Around the World". Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Inc. Retrieved 2022-10-16.