RTÉ's Ryan Tubridy was bemused by people who celebrate World Toilet Day on his radio show this morning.
The host was sifting through today’s newspapers when he noticed an image of a toilet on a beach, which turned out to be an advert for World Toilet Day on November 19th.
Tubridy said: “The World ‘fill in gap here’ Day is kind of out of control in some ways. Really? It’s got a whole day to itself?
“Now, the humble toilet, the useful toilet, the welcome toilet, has a day of its own.”
World Toilet Day is actually a lot more serious than it seems on the surface, however, with the ad explaining the purpose of having a day to celebrate toilets.
“It asks the question, ‘Who cares about toilets?’ 3.6 billion people do because they don’t have one,” the host read from the paper.
The ad was published by the ‘Think Before You Flush’ campaign, ran by Clean Coasts in partnership with Irish Water.
It aims to highlight the dangers of flushing unsuitable items down the toilet, which can lead to blockages in our wastewater network and treatment plants, surface water overflow, and sewage-related litter on beaches and in oceans.
“It goes from World Toilet Day - 'That sounds a bit odd' - to 'That’s quite serious'. That’s quite a useful campaign,” Tubs said.
The campaign wants people to remember the three P’s of what can be flushed - pee, poo and paper. Everything else, such as wipes, cotton buds, sanitary products, hair, and dental floss, should all go in a bin.
He added: “It turns out it’s a sensible campaign.”
“Makes sense. Clean the beaches. Let’s be happy."
