India, New Delhi: using Facebook and SMS to keep the city clean

With this photo on Facebook local resident Akshay Arora asks the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to "kindly send some one and get it clean this Toilet/Urinal". One day later on 7 April 2011, MCD replied: "Your complaint reference no. is 02/0704/SP"

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) launched its Facebook page in January 2011 and an integrated SMS service in March 2011 to enable public monitoring of garbage collection sites and public urinals/toilets in areas under its jurisdiction.The first experiences were positive as illustrated by the example of 22-year-old Piyush Goyal posted his complaint of garbage spilling over from the dump in his area.

On January 8, he clicked pictures of the seven dirty ones in South Delhi’s R K Puram area and posted them on Facebook. And the next day, he says, he saw the pictures of clean dhalaos uploaded by the MCD.

“There is lot of transparency through this way. The man who actually cleans it asked me why I uploaded the pictures. So the information is going from top to the bottom,” says Goyal.

MCD additional commissioner (engineering) Anshu Prakash added:

“This system is increasing transparency, fixing accountability and putting everything under public scrutiny. And none of us like to be ashamed in public. So people have started working at the bottom”.

Wheelie bin converted into toilet

A wheelie bin [household waste container on wheels] has been adapted into a public toilet in a bid to stop people urinating on south London streets.

People can urinate into a funnel inside the bin which transfers the liquid into its base, where it is converted into bio-fertiliser.

Swiss designer Stephan Bischof tested the bin in New Cross and Honour Oak.

He said: “It wouldn’t be better than a proper public toilet but because there are so many (wheelie bins) close it is like an emergency solution.”

Mr Bischof invented the wheelie bin urinal as part of a series of designs to tackle antisocial or illegal behaviour.

‘Weird solution’

The bin’s removable base contains either garden waste or dry grass, which absorbs the urine to create bio-fertiliser.

“It’s a bit of a weird solution,” said Mr Bischof.

“My intentions were not to destroy the primary functions of the wheelie bin so therefore it can still be used as a bin.”

Mr Bischof is seeking funding to further develop his prototype.

His other designs include a traffic sign with a birdhouse inside it and musical speed humps.

A spokesman for Lambeth Council said it was “too early” to say whether the council would consider adopting the wheelie bin urinals.

Source: BBC, 05 Jan 2010 (includes BBC news video)