HONG KONG: For Henry Hung Chi-kuen, a veteran of the plumbing and drainage industry with more than 60 years of experience, toilets are not only how he earns his living but also something of an obsession.
“Wherever I go [around the world], the first place I go [to] is the public toilet,” he said enthusiastically.
The 78-year-old also buys toilet-themed souvenirs from different countries, proudly displaying them behind his desk.
Often referred to as “Dr Toilet”, Hung is a founding member and president of a non-profit charitable organisation that advocates for a clean, accessible and safe toilet environment.
The Hong Kong Toilet Association is best known for its annual survey ranking the city’s best and worst public loos. This week, it named the one in the nightlife district of Lan Kwai Fong as the city’s cleanest, despite its high turnover.
Hung said his more than 60-year career had fuelled his passion for toilets, but it was the city’s outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in 2003 that prompted him to do more for the sake of people’s health and well-being.
He recalled that his realisation, along with a chance encounter with some like-minded people at an event in Beijing in 2005, led to the establishment of the association later that year.
Ranking Hong Kong’s best and worst public toilets
The group debuted its inaugural ranking of the city’s public toilets the next year to raise its profile, but it only managed to publish its next survey in 2018 due to manpower issues.
Recounting his experience in inspecting toilets over the years, Hung said that the worst toilet he personally examined was one on a hiking trail in Kam Tin five years ago, which left a lasting impression on him.
“It seemed no one was managing or looking after it. It was very smelly and people had even defecated in the urinal trough without flushing it. It was disgusting. That time, I wanted to vomit,” he said.
The most memorable clean public toilet he has seen is at the Lantau Link Viewing Platform, which he said remained in good condition years after being ranked the best toilet in their survey.
“The management of toilets is very important... [and] also education for the public. They have to [be respectful] when they use the toilet,” he said.
Apart from its annual ranking, the association also conducts various advocacy efforts, including a controversial proposal to instal female urinals in public toilets to help reduce the long waiting times women face.
The group is also planning to look into the lack of public toilets in the city’s public transport system, he added.
Hung, who will turn 80 in two years, said he had no intention of slowing down and was also confident that he could find his successors despite the somewhat unpopular nature of the work.
“I can say that this association is one that I have built from the ground up with my own hands. I really do not want it to die down slowly,” he said.
“For any association or sector, there needs to be someone who takes a leadership position to ensure the continuation of things. This is my wish.
“Even if I have to do this until I am 100, I will continue to do this work.” - South China Morning Post
