The paid public toilets installed by the Cartagena City Council in May of last year raised 780 euros until December, about four euros per day and eight people on average. The first three booths located in Plaza Cuartel del Rey, next to the Capitanía area that overlooks Calle Real, the taxi rank in Plaza de España, and on Calle San Juan, in front of Plaza de la Lonja, had a benefit from mid-October to December of 241 euros, according to data from Hidrogea, concessionaire of Cartagena's drinking water service and in charge of maintenance.
The first of the public toilets had about four uses per day, while those in Plaza de España and San Juan had only one per day. The bathroom in Plaza Cuartel del Rey is the most visited due to its proximity to entertainment venues. For the most part, tourists still prefer to enter the toilets of the bars and restaurants in the center rather than shell out a 50-cent coin for a maximum of 15 minutes.
These three toilets make up one of the star actions of the deputy mayor of the previous Corporation and councilor for Tourism, Commerce, Health and Consumer Affairs, Manuel Padín, along with the renovation of the municipal markets and the shadow plan.
Each of the bathrooms has an automatic self-cleaning and disinfection system for the toilet lid, sink and floor after each use to maintain hygiene and safety, which, according to the concessionaire company, has, for the moment, “no incidents.” . However, Hidrogea carries out two daily cleanings as a reinforcement. What there have been complaints about from some users, and this newspaper was able to verify it, is that the booths swallow the half-euro coin without providing the service.
The initial plan was to install 17 public toilets in the historic center of the city to respond to the basic needs of citizens and one of the demands of hoteliers, who in many cases have to give up their services without the user consuming.
The first phase of this municipal plan included two other toilets in the vicinity of the port's tourism office on Paseo de Alfonso XII and in Plaza San Francisco, on the façade of a bank branch. The City Council has had to process a consultation with the Autonomous Community so that the Cultural Assets technicians give their approval to the installation of these two toilets, as they are close to unique environments such as the Wall and the modernist buildings in Plaza San Francisco. . At the moment, there is no exact date for the installation of these new modules.
The toilets are galvanized structures, 2.73 meters high by 2.5 meters wide, according to the model of cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, where they have been operating for years. They are located on a concrete platform, with a pipe system added to the municipal sewer and water network. They are accessible for people with reduced mobility and have an anti-graffiti treatment to maintain their aesthetics, as well as an advertising display.
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