How often should you empty a portable toilet?
There are various factors that influence how often a portable toilet should be emptied. These include how many toilet units there are, how many people are using them and how long your event will last. Fairly obviously, the more users a toilet has, the more frequently it should be emptied if acceptable hygiene standards are to be maintained.
At Wight Event Toilets, the capacity of each of our luxury toilets for hire is shown in individual product descriptions. For example, the 3+1 luxury toilet will accommodate up to 250 guests across a 12-hour period, while the 8-bay luxury toilet is suitable for up to 400 guests across 12 hours. As a comparison, a plastic, single use portable toilet (think traditional building sites) can cater for 10 users across a full working week (40 hours), before it is unsanitary and unhygienic. At the start of a hire period with us, we will discuss your requirements fully but for long-term hires, toilets will be emptied at least once a week, with short-term hire toilets being emptied after collection at the end of the hire period.
What happens if portable toilets are not emptied?
Quite simply, if portable toilets are not emptied, their waste storage will fill up. The knock on for event organisers is that the toilets will start to smell (very quickly) and could become a health hazard, and guests will be unable to use them. This inconvenience will lead to unhappy guests, who will then go on to give unfavourable reviews of your event.
How are portable toilets emptied?
Our domestic, home toilets are usually plumbed in to a mains sewer which takes the waste when the toilet is flushed. A luxury toilet unit flushes the waste into a self-contained storage tank and it is this tank that has to be emptied. This is done with a vacuum pump truck which transfers the waste using suction technology, from the storage tank to the pump truck’s tank. It is important to note here that when portable toilets are emptied, they are taken out of service while the emptying process is carried out.
What happens to the waste from portable toilets?
In the UK, there are strict laws that regulate the disposal of liquid waste. It cannot be emptied into the public sewer system but must be transported safely to a specialised treatment plant for processing and disposal. Liquid waste can only be transported by companies registered with The Environment Agency. At WET Hire, we are upper tier licence holders with The Environment Agency, with our own pump truck, which allows us to empty all out toilet units safely and legally. When we empty a portable toilet, we will take the opportunity to clean the interior of the units at the same time and replenish any consumables if required.
Do all portable toilets have to be emptied?
No! Mains drains toilet hire is a service we provide where our portable toilet units are connected to a mains drainage, water and electricity supply. In these cases, the waste from the toilets flushes directly into the sewage system which means the toilets do not have to be emptied. Mains drains hire is ideal for long-term contracts or situations where heavy use is expected.
Luxury toilet hire and portable toilet emptying from Wight Event Toilets
If you are an operations manager needing short- or long-term portable toilet hire, send us a few details contact us via email, or give our friendly team a call on 01225 281018. Based in Wiltshire, we offer luxury toilet hire in Bath, and the wider Somerset area, while our mains drains toilet service is available nationwide.