Telescopic toilet

A telescopic toilet, retractable toilet, or pop-up toilet, is a type of toilet which is stored underground and then raised (usually hydraulically) above ground when in use.[1][2][3][4]

A very common type of telescopic toilet is a telescopic urinal, and they have often been employed at nighttimes or on weekends to discourage street urination.[2][5]

History

Telescopic toilets were first invented and installed in the Netherlands in the form of telescopic urinals.[6] In 2002 they were introduced in London for night time use, with more being installed in 2012.[1][6] By 2014 there were over 200 across Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.[5][6] In 2016 the first female telescopic toilet was introduced in Amsterdam.[4]

In 2014 a telescopic urinal shot up out of the ground due to a gas explosion, injuring the nearby system manager; usage of telescopic urinals was halted for a while, and then resumed.[5][4] In 2023 a maintenance worker was crushed to death by a telescopic urinal in London,[2][7] and a second telescopic urinal was subsequently shut.[8]

References
  1. "Street toilets go telescopic". 1 November 2002. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  2. "London's West End: Man crushed by telescopic urinal dies". BBC News. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  3. "UriLift Triple: retractable unit featuring 3 self-sanitising gents' urinals". Pop-up Toilet Company. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  4. "Amsterdam is home to the world's first retractable female toilet". DutchNews.nl. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  5. "Explosion may have caused pop-up urinal to elevate". DutchNews.nl. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  6. Freeman, Colin (12 April 2012). "The loo that rises out of the ground". Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  7. "Workman crushed to death by 'telescopic urinal' in horrific accident in central London yards from Harry Potter theatre". LBC. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  8. "London's West End: Second telescopic urinal shut after man dies". BBC News. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
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