A Kathmandu-based social enterprise is reimagining public toilets

Unlike many public toilets in the Valley, Aerosan Sustainable Sanitation’s public lavatories have automatic faucets, functioning flushes, and are run by professional cleaners.

It’s a rainy morning in Swoyambhu and a few street vendors are taking shelter from the downpour under an awning of a public toilet. While waiting for the rain to subside, some of the people ordered tea from a cafe located inside the facility. It’s a strange sight because Kathmandu’s public toilets, many of which are known for being unhygienic and stenchy, are the last places in which people would seek shelter and drink tea.