浪费公共厕纸行为引发中国网民大讨论

What does abuse of free toilet paper at public bathrooms say about the state of a country's public morality?

在公共厕所滥用免费卫生纸的行为将如何反映出一个国家公共道德的现状？

That's the question Chinese people have been debating since news emerged late last month that an experimental free toilet paper program in a coastal Chinese city had resulted in users making off with as much as two kilometers of the gratis paper per day.

上月底一则关于中国一个沿海城市在公厕试验免费提供卫生纸的消息传出以后，中国民众就一直在讨论上述问题，因为试验结果发现，每天被使用公厕的人扯走的卫生纸长达两公里。

In a story discussed widely on provincial TV stations, as well as on Chinese social media sites, sanitation authorities in the picturesque city of Qingdao say they have spent around 1.5 million yuan ($236,000) since June 15 installing and stocking free toilet paper dispensers at public lavatories in 24 locations part of an effort to make things more convenient for tourists during the peak summer months.

山东某电视台报道青岛免费公共厕纸试验的屏幕截图。这则新闻曾在多家省级电视台和国内多家社交媒体网站广泛讨论：在风景如画的旅游城市青岛，当地卫生部门说，自6月15日起他们已经投入150万元在城区24个公厕安装取纸器，提供免费卫生纸。此举是为了在夏天旅游旺季期间给游客提供更多方便。

How is it that the city has spent nearly $10,000 on toilet paper per location in less than a month? It's not just about overuse, according to those responsible for maintaining supplies.

不到一个月的时间，青岛市在每个公厕的卫生纸花费上已接近1万美元。这是怎么发生的？据公厕管理员介绍，过度使用并非是造成卫生纸浪费的惟一原因。

'Most people take some before they go into the toilet then grab some more on their way out,' Zhu Xincong, who oversees one of Qingdao's public toilets, said in an interview with Shandong TV.

青岛一座公厕的管理员朱心聪在接受山东电视台采访时说，大多数人进入厕所前会扯一些手纸，出来之后还会再扯一些。

According to local media reports, empty toilet paper dispensers are becoming an increasingly common sight, leading authorities to mount reminders next to them: 'Convenience for you, convenience for me, civility is there for all to see. My paper use, your paper use, conservation is up to us.'

据当地媒体报道，空荡荡的卫生纸盒正日益成为一种普遍现象。有关部门在纸盒旁粘贴的“温馨提示”依然还在：你方便，我方便，文明就在咱身边；你用纸，我用纸，节约就在手指间。

While theft of public toilet paper supplies is by no means unique to China, the situation in Qingdao appears to have struck a nerve in a country where public morality has become a topic of widespread concern.

虽然浪费公共厕纸的现象并非中国独有，但青岛发生的这一情况看来还是牵动了中国人的神经。在中国，公共道德已经成为普遍关注的话题。

'This is national tragedy. Whenever something is 'free,' everything becomes a mess. And whenever you do pay, the money disappears without a trace,' wrote one user of Sina Corp.'s Weibo microblogging service. 'The solution lies in improving our nation's standards.'

新浪微博的一位用户写道：那就是中国社会一悲剧了。什么东西一“免费”吧，必将遭致混乱。但一旦收费，收上去的钱又会不知去向。解决之道关键在于提高国民自身素质啊。

The problem, according to another Weibo user, is attributable to China's not-so-distant history of deprivation and the resulting impulse to take full advantage of all material opportunities: 'With the birth of these new public services such as free toilet paper, the unavoidable reaction from the public is likely to be a 'greedy' one in order to fully enjoy the government's services to one's heart's content.'

在另外一位微博用户看来，导致这一问题的根源在于那段物资缺乏的历史还未远离我们，而这段历史导致国人有一种充分利用所有机会的冲动。这位网友写道：当免费手纸之类的公共服务出现后，民众便“贪婪”而“尽情”地享受政府提供的这种服务，这也是公共服务产品这一新生事物诞生初期不可避免的情况。

The abuse of free amenities is not a phenomenon unique to Qingdao. According to a report in the state-run China Daily, the Beijing subway authorities are struggling to maintain supplies for a temporary slipper replacement program they've launched to help passengers who accidentally lose their flip-flops in rush-hour traffic. The slippers, the report says, are rarely returned.

滥用免费公共设施并非青岛独有的现象。据《中国日报》(China Daily)报道，北京地铁部门正在勉力维持“便民拖鞋”计划。有关部门推出这一计划的初衷是帮助高峰期上下地铁时意外将鞋掉入车厢和站台缝隙中的乘客。这篇报道说，借用拖鞋的人很少归还。

When it comes to toilet paper, at least, some say they think the problem will eventually disappear on its own, provided governments keep the free paper flowing. 'These tourists are just worried because toilet paper is not free everywhere,' wrote one level-headed Sina Weibo user. 'If it is (provided everywhere), this situation will soon improve. There needs to be a process.'

但至少有部分网友认为，浪费卫生纸的现象最终会自行消失，只要政府能在每个公厕持续提供免费卫生纸。一位头脑清醒的新浪微博用户写道：部分游客带走可能是担心别的地方没有，如果处处都有公用的卫生纸，慢慢就不会有人拿那么多了。别着急，这是一个过程。