No boos for crowd-pleasing loos
June 1st 2006 By the time this issue goes to press, the newly renovated RheinEnergie Stadium in Cologne will have hosted the much anticipated England v Sweden World Cup match.
While at the time of writing the outcome remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the loos will be winners, according to Metsä Tissue
The 200,000 m2 stadium has been designed as a compact space guaranteeing atmosphere and passion – if that was ever in doubt. With the outgoing England manager pitched against his homeland and an unhappy record for England of not having defeated the Swedish since 1968, tensions will certainly be high.
Washroom investment
For the refurbishment, the stadium's operators placed a great emphasis on the need for the washrooms to be able to cater for such challenging occasions. As a result the stadium's washrooms have been equipped with the highest quality hygiene solutions.
"We have put in bright, friendly wash rooms.
We place great worth on providing clean and functional toilet facilities and have equipped them to the latest hygiene standards" says Hans-Werner Zahn, technical manager of Kölner Sportstätten GmbH. There are 48 wash rooms of all sizes, both inside and outside the stadium.
"Especially with football, there is a greatly increased user frequency at half-time or after the end of the game. The facility simply has to be in good order." says Zahn, explaining one of the key requirements. A sufficient supply of paper and soap for washing and drying hands is a vital part of this.
Equipped for high traffic
The RheinEnergie Stadium washrooms set standards for visual appearance, cleanliness and hygiene. Katrin paper and dispenser systems from Metsä Tissue have been used to achieve this. They have developed washroom solutions especially tailored for high traffic public washroom facilities. In tune with the 'less is more' philosophy of the Katrin products, paper consumption and hygiene risks are minimised thanks to a high absorption capacity, the right sheet size and touch free systems. Ultimately this saves labour costs and environmental impact.
The Katrin washroom products being used include dispensers for paper towels, toilet paper, soaps, disinfectant wipes, hygiene bags and matching waste baskets. Katrin dispensers are manufactured from ABS hard plastic and so are sturdy and durable, making them well suited to such a high traffic washroom – and functionality is matched by an attractive design. The Katrin hand towel paper is particularly absorbent due to its structure and the way it is embossed: it absorbs up to 16 grams of residual water per sheet while residual wetness after hand washing is normally not more than 9 grams. Furthermore using paper towels to dry the hands removes 90% of bacteria.
Depending on visitor frequency, fundamentally different components of the Katrin system can be combined. The system includes an automatic paper roll changer for when the last sheet is reached. The adjustable delivery control releases only one towel at a time and prevents several paper sheets being grabbed. The user does not need to touch anything except the paper. This not only reduces cross-contamination; it also lowers paper consumption and consequently labour costs. The dispensers have to be filled up less frequently; waste baskets do not overflow and cleaning takes less time overall.
There is also another reason for choosing this highly functional hygiene system. Spare rolls in the locked dispensers mean there are no problems with having to refill the paper at times of peak use. Also, the dispenser system cannot be easily opened; it needs a key. "We try to give our visitors a pleasant experience. That starts with the equipping of the washrooms and finishes up with the trouble-free dispensers," says Zahn.
Around 560 toilet paper dispensers, 200 soap dispensers and 80 hygiene bag dispensers are in use in the stadium – and there are 185 paper hand towel dispensers. "Everything must operate at 100% all of the time, but especially for a highly emotional football game," explains Zahn.
"The Katrin dispenser system has been in use at the stadium for about a year and our washrooms have been converted. There have been no failures of any kind and for us the conversion has been worth it in every respect," he concludes.
England play Sweden in the football world cup at the RheinEnergie Stadium in Cologne on 20th June 2006. More articles from Metsa Tissue Ltd: | 
