How much money do you think you’ve spent in your life on paying to use toilets?
It might not seem like much for some – the price of a coffee here, 30p in loose change there – but it all adds up. Not to mention the fact that loos shouldn’t cost in the first place.
If you’re homeless, for example, the fact that many toilets charge means you aren’t afforded the dignity you deserve when going to the toilet.
Or, if you’re disabled, have children, or are elderly, your need to go to the toilet can be more urgent or frequent, and the lack of free public toilets can have a greater impact.
Soph and Merl, who run the London Loo Codes Twitter account want to get rid of this problem altogether, and have been doing so by sharing codes for toilets across the capital.
What they ask of their followers is to send codes for toilets around London when they get them. They’re then able to retweet and share them all in one place, so if you’re ever stuck and don’t have money to pay, you can find somewhere close by.
It’s not just for using the toilet either, and their service has proven vital for people who need a quiet space to inject insulin.
In the space of a day since they’ve been publishing codes they’ve gained over 1,800 followers, and have inspired a number of similar accounts for different cities.
Hello. We’ll be tweeting the codes for loos in various cafés around London as we get them. @ us with codes so we can retweet, or DM us to stay anon. Don’t be a piss cop. Pee for free. Never inject alone. Pls retweet to spread the word. X
— London Loo Codes (@ldnloocodes) January 17, 2020
They tell Metro.co.uk: ‘We were at uni together and started keeping a record of the loo codes at the various cafes around Bloomsbury we would regularly study at. It occurred to us that this would be a really good resource to pass on.
‘We both need to pee almost constantly, and the lack of access to public toilets is genuinely stressful – sometimes there’s just literally nowhere to go and it can be a real problem. And that’s as a young, able bodied people who can afford a coffee or can walk back to the loos on campus when push comes to shove.
‘We’re concerned about what lack of loo access means for the elderly, people with disabilities and chronic illness, homeless people, people with kids etc, and that’s what really drove us to try and do something about it and start this account.
‘Earlier this year, the Royal Society for Public Health found that 56% of the public restricts fluid intake when they’re out and about for fear they won’t be able to find a toilet – that’s bananas!’
you’re doing the lord’s work here. will look out for opportunities to share them
— rebecca long baeley (@manjotjawanda) January 18, 2020
Soph and Merl have been so buoyed by the positive response they’ve received so far that they’re planning to make an open access document that’ll have all the codes available.
Particularly for people who might be restricted on where they go due to lack of available and accessible toilets, this could be a lifeline.
‘The most consistent response has been from people with chronic illnesses such as IBS and Chron’s,’ for whom lack of toilet access is a constant background anxiety,’ they tell us.
‘As council budget cuts have meant the closure of more and more public toilets, this is a problem that’s having an impact on just about everyone.
‘We think it’s pretty relatable for most people to have been bursting for a wee and not been able to find anywhere to go, so there’s been almost no negativity about it (only one single tweet!).’
As of yet, they’ve thankfully received no resistance when it comes to companies who aren’t happy with their codes being shared.
London Loo Codes do say ‘give it time’, but hope that the companies with issues will instead look to update their toilet policies.
‘We’re hoping that rather than just choosing to update their door codes more regularly, they’ll use this as an opportunity to radically rethink how they want to position themselves and their brands in the communities they operate in.’
Referencing various cafe and pub chains’ corporate responsibility policies, Soph and Merl say that ‘to give the public free access to the loo would be another great initiative to carry their core values forward.’
Until then, their Twitter account will make sure we save pennies while spend a penny.
MORE: Apparently we should all be using tea to clean our mirrors and shiny surfaces
MORE: A list of the things you should actually have in your ‘lady drawer’
