Friday 19 November is World Toilet Day, to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis. 4,000 children die every day from diarrhoea caused by dirty water and poor sanitation. WaterAid, the international water charity, is organising a range of awareness-raising events and calling for people to ”spend a penny and give a pound” to help with sanitation projects worldwide.

WaterAid's Spend a penny give a pound campaign for World Toilet Day

Closer to home, the Consumer Council for Water is using the day to remind people to “look after your loo” with a reminder about what can and can’t be flushed down the toilet.

“We visit the toilet an average of 2,500 times a year and spend about three years of our life on the loo, yet often the humble WC, and sometimes the items we put down it aren’t given a second thought.”

Residents in Tile Hill and Canley in Coventry are being offered free Fat Traps, provided by Severn Trent Water, to dispose of cooking fat safely in the bin, rather than down the sink. Customers of Severn Trent Water can request one of these free online. You can save a lot of water by not using the toilet as a bin.