Environmentally conscious habits have become far more common in many industries, and rightfully so. With just one planet, taking care of it and its resources as best we can is important. A great place to start is by changing the systems and services we use every day, and everybody needs to use the bathroom.
Portable toilet trailers might seem like an odd industry to have an eco-friendly focus. The truth is that portable restroom services play a massive role in everything from water conservation to maintaining public health.
We’ve rounded up seven ways the portable restroom industry is upping its game and going green, protecting us and the environment:
1. Conserving Water
For the average American, most of their daily water use comes from flushing the toilet. Even low-flow toilets use 1.6 gallons of water at each flush, and when you consider how often you use the bathroom each day… that’s a lot of water.
Mobile restroom trailers use a lot less water. Every day, they save 125 million gallons of fresh water. That makes a huge difference in the effort to conserve water.
It is not just the toilets themselves that are saving water. Foot pumps activate some sinks offered in trailers. This prevents excess running water when washing hands. Plus, hand washing is a great hygiene practice, which might not seem like an environmentally friendly habit, but it is. Clean hands keep the public healthy and germs at bay, which is a win for everyone.
2. Stopping The Need For A “Wild Wee”
Whether it be while camping or at a festival, we’ve all probably faced a moment where nature calls, and the only option we have is, well, nature. The issue with using the bathroom where there is none is that human waste harms plant life.
It can be quite challenging if you’ve ever tried to keep a plant alive. You have to get their nutrients and water just right. Wild plants are no different, except they are in their natural habitat. Typically, they are in a perfectly balanced environment. When you expose vegetation to fecal matter, you can throw off that balance with too much salt, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other minerals and compounds.
Proper waste management prevents litter and waste from entering into waterways that may be near venues. This protects not only land habitats but aquatic ecosystems, too. Keeping bodies of water clean and pollution-free is critical to overall environmental health.
3. Protecting Animals
To be blunt, doing your business is a dirty business. Human waste is full of germs and microbes that shouldn’t go out into the world. When emptied properly, portable toilet trailers prevent the spread of disease, not only to other people but to nature.
Animals can catch human diseases but lack immunity to the sickness we humans regularly encounter. Whole ecosystems are at risk if one of our illnesses affects a little critter. We want to protect our furry, feathered, and sometimes frightening friends and toilet trailers help keep them from getting sick.
4. Reducing Harmful Chemical Use
In the past, porta-potties used the chemical formaldehyde to help in the sanitation and disposal of waste in facilities. While this was effective in its purpose, it posed environmental and health concerns. See, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, meaning that it can cause cancer for people exposed to it. Those using the facilities frequently and the people who maintain them are at a higher risk of developing cancer. Plus, when it leaked out into nature, it could wreak havoc there, too.
Portable toilet trailers don’t use this chemical to process waste—they utilize more environmentally conscious waste management systems. One method is introducing microorganisms and enzymes to the tanks that store waste. These microbes are made happy by munching on waste, and the people and the planet are protected. As a bonus, these organisms can help to keep odors at bay.
5. Stopping The Spread Of Sickness
All these germs and bacteria we’ve been discussing have one goal: getting out of the toilet and into the world. They’ll stick to just about anything, like your hands or clothes, to achieve it. Porta-potties are typically a tight squeeze. They don’t have space for bags, coats, extra clothes, and other personal effects. Bacteria can latch on to these items and walk right out the door with you.
Portable toilet trailers, on the other hand, can be very roomy and equipped with hooks, changing tables, and sometimes even lockers, so your items don’t get gross and become a one-way ticket for pathogens to get out of the restroom and out in the open. These easily overlooked features make a genuine impact on the health of a community as well as user experience.
6. Preventing Hazardous Contamination
Portable toilet trailers have more than just your standard bathroom facilities. Mobile decontamination trailers also help keep hazardous substances from leaving job sites, harming people and the environment.
7. Using Sustainable Power Sources
For trailers with special features requiring a power source, fossil fuels, natural gas, and oil are all standard power options but are not sustainable. That’s why solar-powered trailers are such a great alternative. The sun is one of the most sustainable energy sources because it’s always there, even when you can’t see it, so you can always count on this eco-conscious energy source.
As a bonus, portable restroom trailers often have a mobile app that keeps an eye on servicing and maintenance needs so you don’t have to, which prevents a backup of refuse. Not processing waste frequently enough can lead to excrement leaking, a significant pollution and health hazard.
We all want to do our part to protect the planet, and the toilet trailer industry is no different. With so many places that need them and so many options, a certified green restroom trailer is one of the best ways to keep Mother Earth in mind when worrying about waste.
