Bog Apple: NYC discovers stand-alone toilet pods
In its latest efforts to combat this problem, the Big Apple has turned to a Portland-based company that designs modular public conveniences it claims are city-proof.
The products, dubbed 'Portland Loos,' are the brainchild of Madden Fabrication and have garnered something of a cult following around the versatile, kiosk-like facilities which the company says are far cheaper than traditional toilet buildings.
Such public toilet pods have already been installed in 250 locations throughout the United States.
New York has pledged to build 49 new public bathrooms by 2029 to combat the lack of toilets across the five boroughs.
Currently, there are approximately 1,100 public conveniences for the megacity's 8.4 million people, according to official estimates.
- 'Simple but durable' -
The city will spend $150 million on building new restrooms and renovating 36 existing sites.
At the $200,000 unit installed in the Bronx's Joyce Kilmer park, two blocks from Yankee Stadium baseball park, bystanders eyed the new fixture with interest.
One man accidentally activated the hand dryer, part of a sink fitting located on the outside of the booth.
A spokesman for the company described the design as 'simple but durable,' with the basin placed outside in order to keep people moving and avoid a 'hotel effect.'
'Hell yeah, we haven't had a bathroom in this area in forever,' said lifelong Bronx resident Carlos Lopez, describing discrepancies in public restroom access between lower-income and wealthier neighborhoods.
For the five trial units ordered, New York insisted on a higher grade of stainless steel and other modifications to meet strict planning rules.
Street photographer Elijah Dominique, who lives near the park, said public bathrooms were especially important for unhoused people.
'We've got a lot of homeless people in this area,' Dominique said.
'Those are the people who really need these bathrooms. It's good for them -- and for us too so that we're not stepping in (waste) on the sidewalks. Nobody wants that.' - Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Trump pressures, Delhi holds firm, but state oil refiners quietly pull back after Russian discount dips
Indian officials deny policy change on Russian oil imports Foreign ministry emphasises independent energy decisions Trump has threatened tariffs on Russian oil buyers Russia remains India's top oil supplier NEW DELHI, Aug 3 — India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite US President Donald Trump's threats of penalties, two Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday, not wishing to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. On top of a new 25 per cent tariff on India's exports to the US, Trump indicated in a Truth Social post last month that India would face additional penalties for purchases of Russian arms and oil. On Friday, Trump told reporters he had heard that India would no longer be buying oil from Russia. But the sources said there would be no immediate changes. 'These are long-term oil contracts,' one of the sources said. 'It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight.' Justifying India's oil purchases from Russia, a second source said India's imports of Russian grades had helped avoid a global surge in oil prices, which have remained subdued despite Western curbs on the Russian oil sector. Unlike Iranian and Venezuelan oil, Russian crude is not subject to direct sanctions, and India is buying it below the current price cap fixed by the European Union, the source said. The New York Times also quoted two unnamed senior Indian officials on Saturday as saying there had been no change in Indian government policy. Indian government authorities did not respond to Reuters' request for official comment on its oil purchasing intentions. However, during a regular press briefing on Friday, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has a 'steady and time-tested partnership' with Russia. 'On our energy sourcing requirements ... we look at what is there available in the markets, what is there on offer, and also what is the prevailing global situation or circumstances,' he said. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. India's top supplier Trump, who has made ending Russia's war in Ukraine a priority of his administration since returning to office this year, has expressed growing impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks. He has threatened 100 per cent tariffs on US imports from countries that buy Russian oil unless Moscow reaches a major peace deal with Ukraine. Russia is the leading supplier to India, the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, accounting for about 35 per cent of its overall supplies. India imported about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1 per cent from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by sources. But while the Indian government may not be deterred by Trump's threats, sources told Reuters this week that Indian state refiners stopped buying Russian oil after July discounts narrowed to their lowest since 2022 – when sanctions were first imposed on Moscow – due to lower Russian exports and steady demand. Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp , Bharat Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery Petrochemical Ltd have not sought Russian crude in the past week or so, four sources told Reuters. Nayara Energy – a refinery majority-owned by Russian entities, including oil major Rosneft, and major buyer of Russian oil – was recently sanctioned by the EU. Nayara's chief executive resigned following the sanctions, and three vessels laden with oil products from Nayara Energy have yet to discharge their cargoes, hindered by the new EU sanctions, Reuters reported last week. — Reuters
Malaysian Reserve
4 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Fujifilm raises camera and lens prices in the US amid tariffs
FUJIFILM Holdings Corp. raised US prices for the majority of its digital cameras and lenses on Friday, in some cases by hundreds of dollars, as President Donald Trump's tariffs continue to reverberate across the consumer tech industry. Many of the company's camera bodies, which are popular with creators and professionals on account of their film simulations and unique color rendering, are now $200 more expensive than they were on Thursday evening. For instance, Fujifilm's premier consumer camera, the X-T5, sold for $1,699 earlier this week but now costs $1,899, a 12% bump. Fujifilm did not respond to an emailed request for comment. The company is headquartered in Japan, which is subject to a baseline 15% tariff under a deal that the Trump administration struck with the country last month. Fujifilm subsequently relocated manufacturing for a few camera models from China to Japan; during that time, the prices remained stable. Other consumer hardware makers have also raised prices in recent months, including Kyoto-based Nintendo Co., which earlier announced a US price increase for the original Switch handheld games console, citing 'market conditions.' Fujifilm is the fourth-largest camera maker behind Canon Inc., Sony Group Corp. and Nikon Corp., according to market research firm Techno Systems Research. But the brand's products often stir an outsized buzz on social media among tech enthusiasts. Its X100 series went viral on TikTok during the Covid pandemic and has consistently been on backorder at most retailers since then. The latest model in that lineup, the X100VI, has risen to $1,799 with the latest price changes — up from $1,599. As for the other major camera manufacturers, Canon, Sony and Nikon already raised prices for a number of products earlier this year. Smaller players like Sigma have also given in after months of global tariff anxiety; that brand increased the cost of its lenses by around 10% in June, the photography outlet PetaPixel reported at the time, but the company told retail partners it's not planning another hike despite the new 15% rate levied on Japan. Fujifilm's most recently announced mirrorless camera, the X-E5 unveiled in June, has not undergone any price adjustments. That product is scheduled to ship later in August. The X Half, a compact, lightweight model the company introduced this year to attract more Gen Z customers, has also maintained its $850 price for the time being. –BLOOMBERG
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
India's renewable projects without supply deals double in nine months, documents show
SINGAPORE: India's stranded renewable power capacity - projects awarded but unable to come online - more than doubled over nine months, due to unfinished transmission lines, and legal and regulatory delays, letters from an industry group to the government showed. The South Asian nation aims to more than double its non-fossil fuel power capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030, but the acceleration has left projects without firm agreements to supply power. Renewable projects that won tenders to generate power but are yet to sign power purchase agreements with buyers have surged to over 50 gigawatts, India's Sustainable Projects Developers Association said in a letter to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on June 27. That compared with stranded projects of over 20 GW, another letter sent by the SPDA on October 4 showed. Both letters were reviewed by Reuters. Tendered projects cumulatively worth billions of dollars awarded to companies including JSW, NTPC , Adani Green, ACME Solar, Renew and Sembcorp are stranded, two industry officials familiar with the matter said. "Energy transition is not just about building solar and wind capacity, it is also about ensuring that clean power reaches in a most optimum cost and timely manner," the SPDA said in its June 27 letter to the renewable energy ministry. The stranded solar and wind capacity without buyers of over 50 GW reported by the SPDA is about a quarter the size of India's current installed renewable capacity of 184.6 GW. The companies did not respond to Reuters requests seeking comment. A spokesperson for India's power ministry told Reuters on Saturday renewable projects of about 44 GW had been awarded generation licences by federal agencies - which account for most tenders - but did not have supply agreements. He did not elaborate on the scale of the increase in stranded projects, the duration of delay or companies affected. Delays in critical transmission infrastructure - especially in sun-drenched states such as Rajasthan and Gujarat - have forced many solar plants to miss commissioning deadlines, the SPDA said in the June letter. Interstate transmission lines connecting renewable energy projects to the grid are being fast-tracked, and compensation for landowners allowing power cables on their property has been increased to facilitate construction, the ministry spokesperson said. India plans to connect 230 GW of renewable energy projects to the grid through interstate transmission lines, of which 20% have been completed, 70% are under construction and the remainder is being bid out, he said, without specifying a timeline for completion. Renewable projects are also stuck due to prolonged legal disputes over land and environmental permissions, SPDA said, adding that several developers have paused operations over unresolved court cases. (Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Frances Kerry, Louise Heavens and Alison Williams)
