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Monday, September 28, 2026

Many public restrooms in the U.S. became free thanks to 1970s activism from the Committee to End Pay Toilets in America, a group that fought coin-operated toilets. Membership cost just 25 cents, and members received a newsletter called Free Toilet Paper.

Most public restrooms in the United States are free today thanks in part to the activism of the Committee to End Pay Toilets in America (CEPTIA), founded in 1970.

At the time, an estimated 50,000 coin-operated pay toilets existed across the country, commonly found in places like bus stations, train stations, department stores, and other public buildings. CEPTIA argued that charging people to use a basic necessity was unfair, especially for women who often had fewer alternatives.

Membership cost just 25 cents and included a satirical newsletter called Free Toilet Paper. Although the group had only around 1,500 to 1,800 members, its campaigns and lobbying efforts helped persuade cities and states to eliminate pay toilets. By the early 1980s, they had largely disappeared from the United States.