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Stuttgart Defends €600,000 Self-Cleaning Toilet After Cost Outcry

Officials cite costly utility hookups as the driver of the price, promising long-term savings from a self-cleaning, vandalism-resistant design.

Overview

  • The facility sits in the Egelseer Heide recreation and landscape protection area and is already in operation.
  • Taxpayer advocates argue the sum is disproportionate for a small site, noting the money could buy a family home in many places.
  • Abfallwirtschaft Stuttgart says roughly half of the total went to laying fresh-water, sewage and electricity lines at the remote location.
  • The city reports more than 1,000 uses in the first four weeks and estimates about 500 instances of public urination were avoided.
  • Officials expect at least a 20-year service life from the self-cleaning, vandalism-resistant unit, which they argue reduces ongoing staffing and maintenance needs.