Europe - Toilet paper in Santorini

Sorry for being gross with this question, folks, but I need to know. A friend of mine told me that when she went Crete in 2003, she was told by her hotel NOT to put toilet paper in the toilet. She had to put it in a bag and emptied it each day. That is so gross!

Does anyone know if that practice is also in Athens and on Santorini? I'm going to these places this summer. Thank you.

I've been to Greece a couple of times (5x, earliest being in 2001) and I have never heard of such a thing. Then again, we always stayed at big resorts, so it might be different in smaller hotels.

It is quite common in Greece, I think it is to do with the pipes being smaller and clogging far more easily. It isn't my preference, but when the alternative is breaking your loo, you do as you are told!


Sorry for being gross with this question, folks, but I need to know. A friend of mine told me that when she went Crete in 2003, she was told by her hotel NOT to put toilet paper in the toilet. She had to put it in a bag and emptied it each day. That is so gross!

Does anyone know if that practice is also in Athens and on Santorini? I'm going to these places this summer. Thank you.

Do you think larger hotels would be different? I cannot imagine expecting hundred of guests to put toilet paper in a can. Man, I just cannot wrap my head around this requirement. That's just so disgusting.

Do you think larger hotels would be different?

We stayed at the Hilton Athens and I'd read of this beforehand (small pipes). Sure enough, there was can with a lid right next to the toilet, but no sign indicating it had to be used. We flushed the paper.

It is quite common in Greece, I think it is to do with the pipes being smaller and clogging far more easily. It isn't my preference, but when the alternative is breaking your loo, you do as you are told!

+1

Actually its very common in many places in Europe!!

+1

Actually its very common in many places in Europe!!

To be honest with you, unless you use a whole toilet roll per sitting, how can several squares clog the pipe? They disintegrate in the water. Besides, what you personally dispose of is probably bigger that the toilet paper themselves.

Again, sorry for being disgusting here...

Women in some areas of Mexico are taught to put the daintily used paper in the trash can next to the toilet and to flush the stuff that gets heavier use.

Actually its very common in many places in Europe!!

Is it? Where else? I've only come across it in Greece - and that included larger hotels.

Encountered the disposal of used toilet paper in baskets adjacent to the loo in China. Assumption that the old pipes can clog up easily. --European facilities-- probably same issue in older buildings.

To be honest with you, unless you use a whole toilet roll per sitting, how can several squares clog the pipe? They disintegrate in the water. Besides, what you personally dispose of is probably bigger that the toilet paper themselves.

Again, sorry for being disgusting here...

toilet paper does clog the pipes. your personal problem does not. you do much boating, you dump toilet paper, you end up cleaning the plumbing.

ever make paper mache objects? your chance to use a plumbing pipe for a mold.

Yes it is very true! We were told the same thing but I find it so gross to do/imagine so my toilet paper went to the right place and not some waste bag!

+1

Actually its very common in many places in Europe!!

I wonder what part of Europe you mean now except in Greece. All the other places I have been in Europe does not come with such requirement.:rolleyes:

Pretty common request in many places with old plumbing. The only problem it causes me is that I forget due to habit to comply with the request.

If you stay in a brand new modern hotel you likely won't run into this "problem."

Pretty common request in many places with old plumbing. The only problem it causes me is that I forget due to habit to comply with the request.

If you stay in a brand new modern hotel you likely won't run into this "problem."

If you stay anywhere on Santorini you will not have this problem (including youth hostels)!!!!!!

Further, if you stay anywhere on the following islands: Milos, Sifnos, Serifos, Kos, Rhodes, Syros, Crete, Samos, Symi, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Amorgos or Ios you will NOT have a problem.

It's 2012....not 1912.

Uh-h, the paper quality may not readily disintegrate in the old plumbing.

This is standard practice in much of Mexico.

Is it? Where else? I've only come across it in Greece - and that included larger hotels.

From what I remember, I've seen it in Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy--still common here in Southern Spain.

At least a couple of those islands you will find bins for the paper.

Pretty common request in many places with old plumbing. The only problem it causes me is that I forget due to habit to comply with the request.

If you stay in a brand new modern hotel you likely won't run into this "problem."

If you stay anywhere on Santorini you will not have this problem (including youth hostels)!!!!!!

Further, if you stay anywhere on the following islands: Milos, Sifnos, Serifos, Kos, Rhodes, Syros, Crete, Samos, Symi, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Amorgos or Ios you will NOT have a problem.

It's 2012....not 1912.

toilet paper does clog the pipes. your personal problem does not. you do much boating, you dump toilet paper, you end up cleaning the plumbing.

ever make paper mache objects? your chance to use a plumbing pipe for a mold.

Hmmm...I must be using the soft kind of toilet paper in America, because mine just breaks up in the water. I can see discouraging people from throwing tampons and/or paper towels in the toilet because those are MUCH sturdier and they DO clog the pipes. Even in new buildings in America, we are discouraged from throwing paper towels in the toilet. So, that much I agree, but toilet paper is a bit drastic.

Maybe I will just bring a couple of rolls of soft toilet papers with me to Santorini. =)

Hmmm...I must be using the soft kind of toilet paper in America, because mine just breaks up in the water. I can see discouraging people from throwing tampons and/or paper towels in the toilet because those are MUCH sturdier and they DO clog the pipes. Even in new buildings in America, we are discouraged from throwing paper towels in the toilet. So, that much I agree, but toilet paper is a bit drastic.

Maybe I will just bring a couple of rolls of soft toilet papers with me to Santorini. =)
Big hotels can probably cope, and if the drains do get blocked they'll no doubt be able to unblock them quickly (one presumes). If you're staying in a small guest house though it might be wisest to follow the instructions given, since they must be given for a reason. Blocked sewerage drains wouldn't be much fun...

if you stay anywhere on the following islands: ...Crete, you will NOT have a problem.

It's 2012....not 1912.

I was in Crete & the problem was there but I ignored! :)

I've only been to Greece once, back in the 1990's, and it was standard practice to put the paper in the bin. I am pretty sure that I clogged one toilet when I forgot to comply. I still feel guilty about it. Double-guilty since I observed early on that any restroom used by tourists (or at least places frequented by Americans) usually had at least one stall with an empty bin and a clogged toilet.

That's how it is in a lot of the world (although not in most of Europe, as someone above inexplicably suggested). Not everywhere is lucky enough to be as developed as what you might be used to.

That is so gross!
That's just so disgusting.
Again, sorry for being disgusting here...
I think you need to lower your convenience threshold. Travel broadens the mind. It's just a bodily function. At least you're not the person who has to clean it up. :rolleyes:

Good job no-one has mentioned squat toilets (http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Squat-Toilet)

I was in Crete & the problem was there but I ignored! :)

I am sure that was highly appreciated. If you can not live with the rules in a country you visit, stay home!
S

I am sure that was highly appreciated. If you can not live with the rules in a country you visit, stay home!
S

+1.

At the Athens Hilton, the small covered dustbin / trash can is for other disposables that toilet paper (just as it is in many UK and USA hotel bathrooms).

As for toilet paper and cans for disposal, usually this is indicated, though in public locations, budget facilities, etc. this can be found in any number of countries - Latin American readily comes to mind. Highly unsanitary when there is no lid. (As others have said, just wait until you travel more widely and hit the squat toilets, trench toilets, "long drops" or anything like the worst I have encountered, an open pit at Naabi Hill in Tanzania some years ago.)

If traveling in these areas, you may not find toilet paper at all in some areas (carry packets of 3 - 4 toilet paper squares in a "zuploc" type bag) , and you may wish to carry small bottles of hand sanitizer as well.

Santorini? Some places will have cans, others most definitely will not.

We stayed at the Hilton Athens and I'd read of this beforehand (small pipes). Sure enough, there was can with a lid right next to the toilet, but no sign indicating it had to be used. We flushed the paper.

To be honest with you, unless you use a whole toilet roll per sitting, how can several squares clog the pipe? They disintegrate in the water. Besides, what you personally dispose of is probably bigger that the toilet paper themselves.

Again, sorry for being disgusting here...

With today's toilet paper, yes. But back in the days of the Iron Curtain and such, not all paper "used" was suitable for, or even made for, sewage systems.

Some places you still see the baskets but I think nowadays it is done more for the older generation who were used to doing things a certain way than anything.

Sorry for being gross with this question, folks, but I need to know. A friend of mine told me that when she went Crete in 2003, she was told by her hotel NOT to put toilet paper in the toilet. She had to put it in a bag and emptied it each day. That is so gross!

Does anyone know if that practice is also in Athens and on Santorini? I'm going to these places this summer. Thank you.

Welcome to international travel. ;)

Yeah never heard of such request in Europe, I didn't need to do it when we were in Athene. I'm shocked. It's disgusting. We are going to Athene soon is it possible that the hotel that we booked will required the same thing??

Anyone saying the don't do this in Santorini (Thera) is wrong. They may not do it everywhere but it's certainly done. I've been there, stayed at a beautiful, small hotel in Fira and this was requested when I checked in.

I didn't think it was a big deal at all. I've traveled a lot, I've seen much worse. It's pretty simple, instead of dropping the paper in the water, you drop it in a trash can with a lid. You don't touch it more, you don't see it, nothing different and the trash can is emptied every day.

It's an old, amazingly beautiful place, things aren't the same as they are in the US and that's part of the fun. What I did with my tp was of absolutely no concern to me when I took this photo.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3531/3319016281_4c35ee6d0c_z.jpg

Yeah never heard of such request in Europe, I didn't need to do it when we were in Athene. I'm shocked. It's disgusting. We are going to Athene soon is it possible that the hotel that we booked will required the same thing??

Ah, the voice of the adventurous traveller.
" I want to explore ancient lands that are untouched by tourism but I still want to be able to take a sanitized dump just like I do at home. "
Of course in many countries they don't even use toilet paper at all which is one of the reasons why they only eat with one hand.
If you're that sensitive perhaps it's best if you stay at home.

Ah, the voice of the adventurous traveller.
" I want to explore ancient lands that are untouched by tourism but I still want to be able to take a sanitized dump just like I do at home. "
Of course in many countries they don't even use toilet paper at all which is one of the reasons why they only eat with one hand.
If you're that sensitive perhaps it's best if you stay at home.

I think you're going a bit too far in your reasoning.

I don't consider travelling to Greece as travelling to a third-world country and indeed, that way of dealing with TP is quite curious. So no need to be "adventurous" to go there. I live in Europe and have travelled to most European countries and have never heard of such a thing as to drop TP in a can next to the loo.

Does anyone know if that practice is also in Athens and on Santorini? I'm going to these places this summer. Thank you.

I did not encounter this in either Athens or Santorini, but I did encounter it in other places (Mongolia and Siberia). It's a culture shock, but it's better than breaking the toilet and causing a headache for everyone.

Of course, learning to do things differently in the john is worth this: http://seattleflyerguy.blogspot.com/2011/06/greece-5-shots-from-santorini-milos-and.html

indeed, that way of dealing with TP is quite curious.
Given that the sewage systems are very old and quite clearly cannot take toilet paper, what sort of alternative solution do you suggest? I would wager that most money in Greece is probably being used for more important things these days, so investing the € into upgrading the system is almost certainly out of the question.

+1

Actually its very common in many places in Europe!!

Huh? Never ever heard of this before....:td:

I wonder if anyone ever got the two confused, as in do the business in the basket and throw the TP in the toilet bowl :D

I was in Greece last week and only once there was a sticker that asked to dispose the paper in a bin next to the toilet. I did notice that in all toilets, bins were present though.

Anyone saying the don't do this in Santorini (Thera) is wrong. They may not do it everywhere but it's certainly done. I've been there, stayed at a beautiful, small hotel in Fira and this was requested when I checked in.

I didn't think it was a big deal at all. I've traveled a lot, I've seen much worse. It's pretty simple, instead of dropping the paper in the water, you drop it in a trash can with a lid. You don't touch it more, you don't see it, nothing different and the trash can is emptied every day.

It's an old, amazingly beautiful place, things aren't the same as they are in the US and that's part of the fun. What I did with my tp was of absolutely no concern to me when I took this photo.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3531/3319016281_4c35ee6d0c_z.jpg


+1 ^

I think you're going a bit too far in your reasoning.

I don't consider travelling to Greece as travelling to a third-world country and indeed, that way of dealing with TP is quite curious. So no need to be "adventurous" to go there. I live in Europe and have travelled to most European countries and have never heard of such a thing as to drop TP in a can next to the loo.

Bro, I live in Spain and those cans are all over the place here.

I've seen this is some parts of Brazil, too. There, it's because in some areas there's no regular sewage system, only septic tanks.

"Not all varieties of toilet paper have been suitable for disposal in a septic tank, as some in the past did not deteriorate sufficiently (or, at least at some points in history, some toilet paper was specifically marked as suitable for use in septic systems and some was not)"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septic_tank

Having grown up in China this was the norm. Not really that weird - just turn the papers dirty side down so you don't see it next time :-)

Nothing better to do at this time, so let a Greek give you some valid background on this issue.

First, it is absolutely true that there are still signs requiring paper to be disposed of in special bins in many, but definitely not all, public toilets in Greece. The habit stems from the time before most toilets were connected to public sewage. The problem was not so much the narrow pipes but the fact that the cesspits would fill-up much, much faster, especially at a time 50 years ago (and more) when toilet paper was often substituted by newspaper, etc. and the pits were of the older variety (not draining). And, even if modern toilet paper disintegrates, it is still there, adding mass to the contents of the cesspit that, still, would have to be emptied at smaller time intervals. Having said this, it is also a fact that modern engineering has made this obsolete in most cases, although the habit still persists, especially outside of the big cities. Now, traveling in more than 10 countries in all 5 continents each year, I agree with many posters that the habit is not unique to Greece; I've seen cases almost everywhere with the exception of Europe, North America and the Far East. Mind you, when I think of the automatic, electronic, super high-tech toilets in S. Korea that wash you at libitum, I wonder which habit is weirder...

From what I remember, I've seen it in [...] France, and Italy.

I must say I'm surprised. As a French guy who knows the country pretty well, villages included, I have never encountered a situation when I was asked not to flush toilet paper. Never seen it in Italy either. In Southern Spain or Greece yes, although it is not overwhelming. Much of Asia, Africa, and Latin America do that more systematically though.

Maybe OP can wait for the Disneyland version of Santorini to be built.:D

It's very common in parts of Latin America too. Eh, you get used to it.

+1

Actually its very common in many places in Europe!!

:rolleyes: No, it is not. The only places I have encountered this are Greece and Turkey, hardly represantative of the whole of Europe.

Some countries avoid the issue by not having toilet paper by the toilet. :eek: I've experienced that, but yesterday I learned something new on the TP front.

An ex-pat blogger posted that in her city the rolls that were formerly known as toilet paper have reappeared on all the restaurant tables as table napkins.

And in Asia, you use napkins or facial tissues as toiletpaper! :p

And in Asia, you use whatever you happen to have on you as toiletpaper! :p

Fixed.