Don’t let the amount of public urinals flush away your expectations — the Netherlands cares about your comfort while you pee!
They even do research about it. The Dutch Stomach Liver Intestine Foundation (MLDS) and the Toilet Alliance (yes, that’s a thing) inspected stalls across the country to find the most toilet-friendly municipality…
And the results are in. 👇
Where to go when you really, really have to go
The Gelderland municipality of West Maas en Waal is continuing its reign at the top for the second year in a row.
This is the result of a policy that was implemented two years ago, aiming to have accessible toilets in all public buildings.
READ MORE | Provinces in the Netherlands: the easy guide
“Residents and guests should never be far away from a toilet”, says West Maas en Waal alderman Rob Reuvers when talking to Omroep GLD.
And far away they aren’t. For just about 20,000 inhabitants, the municipality has several dozen public toilets spread across eight municipality centres. 🚾
Some places are just… crappy
While Gelderland is home to the best, it’s also home to the worst.
The municipality of Rozendaal, just outside of Arnhem, is at the very bottom of the toilet-friendliness list.
Maybe we can let it slide, though — Rozendaal has so few public buildings that there’s barely anywhere to squeeze in a toilet. The only public toilet is located in the town hall and, according to its spokesperson, it’s always available to visitors with children.
But for everyone else? Well, if you find yourself in Rozendaal with a full bladder and no kids in tow, you’re in for a “wee” bit of trouble. 👀
Recipe for success
And how does the MLDS decide who gets the title of most toilet-friendly municipality?
There are several criteria, but the primary focus is on the number of residents and overnight tourists per toilet, as well as the toilets’ distribution.
READ MORE | Why are there no public bathrooms in the Netherlands?
There is also a toilet hierarchy: Sit-down toilets score better than urinals, while wheelchair-accessible toilets score best out of them all. 👑
How toilet-friendly do you think your Dutch city is? Let us know in the comments!