The World Toilet Organization has weighed in on the hygiene issue that has driven a wedge between Hong Kong and mainland China in recent weeks after a couple from the mainland allowed their toddler to relieve herself on a busy street in Hong Kong.

WTO's Jack Sim Ruihua said Hong Kong residents should show more tolerance and understanding of mainlanders while the latter should be educated on the essentials of hygiene.

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Sim said it was time to mount a massive advocacy campaign on the health risks that unsanitary practices pose to the public.

His ideas for the campaign ranged from the serious to the downright hilarious, and included such slogans as "Don't Eat S***" and "Potty Parity."

He said health and sanitation advocates can extol the fear factor by reminding people that human excretions, when dispensed in public places, can invite flies which then carry and spread diseases.

The issue of unsanitary toilet practices erupted when a couple from mainland China who were visiting Hong Kong allowed their young child to pee on a busy street, an incident that was captured on video and annoyed many city residents after it went viral.

Hong Kong residents are particularly sensitive to hygiene and sanitation after they were badly hit by the SARS epidemic of 2003 that took the lives of 299 Hong Kong Nationals.

Sim offered his organization's help in conceptualizing the campaign, which he said can then tap celebrity endorsers for greater impact.

To be more effective, Sim said, the campaign should draw from the pride and dignity of people by pointing out that "toilet habits are reflective of one's dignity" rather than putting people to shame over their poor hygiene.

He also suggests saturating ports of entry with informational leaflets and adverts that will guide visiting mainland tourists on how to observe sanitary practices while traveling and even as they head back home.

Sim cautioned, however, that positive results can not be expected overnight as larger parts of the mainland are in the process of developing and people are still getting educated on the importance of hygiene.

The World Toilet Organization has more than 200 members and is affiliated with organizations such as the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Environment Program and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

TagsWorld Toilet Organization, Jack Sim, Hong Kong, Mong Kok, piss gate