TAIPEI – For most of his life, 37-year-old Vincent Tseng would chuck soiled toilet paper into a bin instead of flushing it away, whether he was using the toilet at home or in public places.

“My parents and teachers always said that flushing toilet paper would clog the pipes. I didn’t want to become known as the student who clogged up the school toilet, so I always threw toilet paper into the bins,” said Mr Tseng, who owns a phone accessories shop.

He took to toilet flushing only a few years ago, after seeing a 2017 government campaign that encouraged the public to do so.

But old toilet habits die hard for most in Taiwan despite government efforts to get people to clean up their act.

In 2019, the Ministry of Environment set aside NT$3.24 billion (S$137 million) for a six-year plan to upgrade public toilets across Taiwan. As at 2022, at least 2,958 facilities have been upgraded so that they would be able to take the strain of users flushing down toilet paper, it said.

However, according to a July 2023 survey by the ministry, more than half of Taiwanese – some 55 per cent – still dispose of their toilet paper in rubbish bins, with many citing concerns over sewerage systems getting choked.

The ministry told The Straits Times that it will continue to raise public awareness about the issue of flushing, and help local governments to upgrade public toilets and improve drainage and sewerage systems.

Besides creating an unpleasant toilet experience for others, experts say that smelly bins stuffed with sullied toilet paper are a breeding ground for bacteria, pests and diseases.

In an informational fact sheet, the ministry said that flushing toilet paper reduces the spread of cholera, typhoid and dysentery, among other diseases, and prevents the breeding of mosquitoes and flies. 

“Environmental cleanliness and public health are indicators of national progress,” the ministry said, stressing its push to get people to kick the habit of targeting the bins instead of the porcelain.

It will take years before people change their toilet habits, said Professor Jeffrey Lee from the National Taichung University of Science and Technology, who has done extensive research on the design of Taiwan’s public toilets.

“For a long time, the majority of Taiwanese households relied on septic tanks, which would overflow if they were not pumped regularly,” he told ST. These tanks are typically located beneath homes and not linked to a sewerage system. In the 1950s, sewage was not treated in some areas and would flow into rivers, he added.

“So people would always say, ‘Don’t throw paper down the toilet bowl, or everything will be clogged’. Parents would teach that to their children, and their children would grow up teaching that to the next generation,” he said.

Since the 2000s, most homes, at least in the more developed cities in Taiwan, are connected to a central sewerage system, and people in these homes can flush freely.

The government’s campaign to encourage people to use the flush in toilets still has some way to go, mainly because Taiwan’s toilets are still a mixed bag.

For example, Prof Lee said that even today, many households outside of capital city Taipei have yet to be connected to the main sewerage system, which could lead to clogging issues if septic tanks are not pumped in time.

According to government statistics, around eight in 10 households in Taipei in 2022 were linked to the main sewerage network, but that was the case for only 26 per cent of households in the southern city of Tainan.

Another issue many toilet users are confused about is tissue paper.

“Even though commercially sold toilet tissue can dissolve easily in water, some households would still have their concerns,” Prof Lee said.

Some people have difficulties distinguishing toilet paper from facial tissue, which is designed to withstand moisture and cannot be flushed, he added. In Taiwan, toilet paper is often sold in flat packs instead of roll form, and could be mistaken for facial tissue. 

The Ministry of Environment has reminded the public to check the packaging labels for toilet paper that is safe to flush.

Mr Tseng, the accessories shop owner, said that he hopes more Taiwanese will change their potty habits as bins filled with dirty toilet paper are “embarrassing” for a developed economy.

“They’re an eyesore and they stink. We really should do better,” he said.