The City of Brussels has installed 3 new self-cleansing toilets at locations in the city centre and in the European Quarter. The cubicles have an automatic flushing system and a self-cleaning mechanism that washes and dries the floor each time after use. There is also a touch-free sink. A control device reports any incidents that may occur immediately to a control room.
The toilet facilities replace the old toilets on the Annessensplein and the Marguerite Duras Square in Brussels City Centre. Meanwhile, a new toilet has been installed on the Marguerite Square in the European Quarter.
The toilets cost 150,000 euro each. The Alderman responsible for cleanliness in the City of Brussels Anas Ben Abdelmoumen (Francophone socialist) says that “Public toilets provide basic hygiene for everyone that uses our public spaces and help to combat the issue of people urinating in public”.
The City of Brussels is the only municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region that manages its own public toilets. The City of Brussels’ WCs are free of charge. Further facilities new are due to be installed this year and next year. They include new toilets on the Bockstaelplein in Laken and at the Atomium.
Elsewhere in the capital, the “welcoming toilets” network also provides free access to toilets in more than 50 bars, restaurants and shops in the city with no obligation to buy. This project is given a subsidy by the City of Brussels amounting to 1,000 euro/annum.