Harbin's 'Public Toilet Alliance' program helps pedestrians find relief

Residents and tourists in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, now have more restroom options beyond busy public toilets. Using mobile map apps, they can locate restrooms included in the "Public Toilet Alliance", which includes hospitals, shopping malls and restaurants - mostly in densely populated areas like commercial districts, scenic spots and transportation hubs.

Users will see a list of nearby alliance units and stores when searching "Public Toilet Alliance" on map apps, such as Baidu and Gaode. Some locations even have specific names marked, and users can click to view the address and start navigation.

The "Public Toilet Alliance" is a Harbin program to help residents and tourists find toilets when they are out. Approximately 1,000 street-front units and commercial stores have joined the program to offer their restrooms for unrestricted public use in the spirit of social responsibility.

To improve the visibility of these locations, the city's urban management and sanitation departments recently printed a new version of the "Public Toilet Alliance" logo to be posted on each alliance unit.