We all have a responsibility to our world to keep it clean and sustainable for ourselves and future generations. This requires action by groups, individuals, industries, and businesses.
Portable restrooms are one example of an industry that strives to be eco-friendly and responsible. Let’s take a closer look at how our industry is taking strides to go greener and be a better conduit for the local environments it serves.
Traditional Portable Restrooms – The Early Years
In the early day of portable toilets, a heavy tank was simply emptied either into a body of water or in a dump of some sort. This was not responsible or healthy. Formaldehyde became a product used to keep the waste from growing other bacteria, but since it is carcinogenic, its use was frowned upon. Porta-potty chemicals have evolved into a more eco-responsible approach.
Standard washrooms use great amounts of water and most is wasted. With the eco-friendly portable restrooms, there are estimated savings of over 125 million gallons of water each day.
Solutions Are Critical for the Environment
It is vital to find effective, yet eco-friendly solutions for porta-potties. With typical restrooms, waste and water are flushed into a septic or sewer system. With portable potties, the waste is retained and treated responsibly. Proper waste disposal methods are used. Cleaning with non-toxic, biodegradable substances of porta-potties makes the portable restroom industry eco-friendly.
Hand washing stations have also contributed to a greener use of portable restrooms. Hand washing stations have a tank to hold enough water for approximately 200 washes. A foot pump is used to keep hands clean and to conserve the water; no running water. Conserving water is important.
Government Regulations
OSHA requires employers to provide all workers with sanitary and available toilet facilities. Alongside those requirements, the portable sanitation industry is subject to a variety of standards regarding the facilities, waste disposal, and operation of facilities. These are enforced by the EPA.
Each portable restroom company, including Texas Johns, is regulated by federal, state, and local regulations. After sanitation trucks empty and clean a porta-potty, the trucks use an authorized sanitation cleaning facility to treat the waste safely. The cleaning, hauling, and treatment are controlled by law.
Green Benefits of Portable Restrooms
Green portable restrooms provide the proper disposal of human waste. Through the use of enzymes, microbes, and detergents, these potties are cleaner and safer. Odor and bacteria are kept at a minimum, proving safety for users and the environment.
Portable toilets reduce problems caused by insects. With the use of enzymes, detergents, and microbes, bacteria are neutralized, making them less attractive to insects. This prevents the spread of disease.
Using a portable restroom company, like Texas Johns, saves businesses and event hosts time and money. Having a service deliver, set up, maintain, empty and clean each facility frees the coordinator from doing it themselves or doing it improperly. The portable restroom will be cleaner and more efficient…saving water, time and money. Porta-potties are, therefore, cost-effective as well as eco-friendly.
The portable restroom industry has a responsibility to operate in a clean and eco-friendly manner, following all laws. Texas Johns takes that responsibility seriously, offering hygienic and well-maintained portable restrooms for any need, event or venue. If your goal is to host an event that is good for the guests and environmentally friendly, Texas Johns should be your next call.
