Sanitation crises exist in many parts of the world where untreated waste-water continues to pollute water resources and degrade the natural environment, unabated. For highly-developed countries, portable restrooms, fortunately, are easily accessible, everywhere. These portable units play a highly significant role in the effort to preserve and protect Planet Earth's natural resources.
Can you imagine if open-field farm-workers did not have access to portable restrooms near their work-sites? Contamination of fruit and vegetable produce would run rampant if workers were allowed to relieve themselves anywhere, at any time. Thankfully, there are strict guidelines for job-site compliance as set forth by OSHA, GAP, and USDA regarding sanitary resources – portable restrooms and hand-washing stations – that must be made available, continuously, for this type of venue, as well as many others.
Portable Restrooms are the Environment's Ally
Portable restrooms serve as a staunch ally for the environment – locally, nationally, and globally. When human waste is disposed of in a sanitary and organized manner, fresh-water rivers and streams have a fighting chance to remain optimally clean. When it comes to the environment and how it is impacted by human waste, it is water that gleans the most attention since it, more than anything else, becomes a breeding ground for instant contamination and disease-causing microbes. But make no mistake, when waste is allowed to languish on land, it can seep into well-water systems and make its way into rivers and streams, as well.
Globally: Unfortunately, many parts of the world are slow to react to any introduction of portable restrooms, since public-defecation is a societal norm in many areas of the world. But the portable sanitation industry, in conjunction with philanthropic organizations, continues its quest to help one community at a time to establish increased human dignity and safer/cleaner environments for everyone, involved – portable restroom facilities help to bring sanitation goals to fruition.
Under-developed communities across the globe ARE feeling the positive effects of far less human waste in water systems and land areas. For example, in some impoverished communities in India, the use of UN-supplied portable restrooms has translated into upwards of 30% of rural citizens within select villages using portable restrooms instead of using open land and water areas. Also, fewer people in secluded villages are flushing waste into water supplies. As a result, intestinal worms, pneumonia, and cholera have been reduced, and the infant mortality rate in some rural communities has dropped by 20% – this, according to the World Toilet Organization.
In Kenya, various toilet brigades of several dozen men take turns with keeping their village's groupings of portable restroom facilities clean, knowing their efforts can mean the difference between a family member becoming gravely ill, or not. Many of the portable toilets, as well as cement-brick designs, are supplied by WaterAid, the UN, and other humanitarian agencies. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has greatly helped with supporting education, supplies, and equipment to deal with the capture, storage and re-purposing of waste as an energy source.
Locally: When it comes to using portable restrooms for your outdoor event, construction site, or field crew, one can breathe easy knowing these units tightly hold the waste in portable tanks which prevent any welcoming of flies which, in turn, would generate cross-contamination. Nematodes (roundworms) and dangerous microbes found in human feces are neutralized by environmentally-friendly chemicals.
Again, imagine public outdoor events or outdoor work sites that wouldn't be mandated to utilize portable restrooms: waste would poison bodies of water, pollute land areas, contaminate crops, spread disease, and wreak havoc, exponentially, on the environment, not to mention the foul air your family and mine would be forced to inhale.
When California was faced with a severe and unprecedented drought in 2014, about 280 state parks closed their public restrooms and substituted them with portable restrooms. Park amenities that utilized water were shut off: showers, bathrooms, faucets – everything. Some city restaurants were not allowed to serve drinking water to patrons, and a variety of major theme parks closed their public restrooms and used portable toilets, instead. You could say, portable restrooms truly DID come to the rescue. They provided a way to circumvent the water shortage, beautifully.
This fact, alone, is one that should make anyone appreciate portable restrooms' benefit to the environment: The Portable Sanitation Association International states that 45 billion gallons of fresh water are saved every year, around the world, due to the use of portable restrooms. That amounts to 125,000,000 gallons of fresh water saved every day, globally.
As a side-note: Did you know that portable restrooms, themselves, are recyclable? Yes, indeed – the plastic and metal components can be reused for other purposes after the lifespan of the portable restroom has reached its peak – up to 10 years, or more.
Protecting our precious and finite natural resources from contamination saves untold millions of lives. The positive impact of portable restrooms, in terms of environmental health, safety and preservation, is incalculable – yes, portable restrooms are our planet's ally!
Give Westway Site Services, formerly Moore Cans a Call!
Call Westway Site Services, formerly Moore Cans, today, and we will address any questions you have about any of our portable restroom options – from the most basic porta-potties to amenity-filled luxury restroom trailers, we have any design to suit any event and any budget!
You can reach us at 214-351-0909