The small town of Nipomo, CA in the southern end of San Luis Obispo County on California’s central coast has just announced that before any business or residential property may be sold in the city, it must be retrofitted with water saving plumbing fixtures.

This is a trend being seen throughout the country. Even water rich areas of the country are requiring that low and no water toilets, urinals, and faucets be installed before a property is sold. Others are offering tax rebates to encourage their installation.

Saving water is the goal of these programs. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an older, conventional toilet can waste up to 4,000 gallons of water per year. And a urinal may use more than 40,000 gallons of water annually.

But what should can be done with the old toilets and urinals that are being replaced?

Fortunately, toilet and urinal recycling programs have sprung up around the country, and the old fixtures are being used in a myriad of applications.

“What typically happens is the toilet or urinal’s porcelain is crushed,” says Klaus Reichardt, founder and managing partner of Waterless Co., LLC, manufacturers of no water urinal systems. “The pebbles can be added to asphalt for paving roads or used in drainage projects.”

This, according to Reichardt, not only eliminates the need to discard toilets into landfills, but reduces the need to mine for gravel, a cost savings that benefits the taxpayer and the environment. 

Other uses of crushed porcelain from recycled urinals and toilets include:

• Building foundations: Facilities have earned LEED certification points by using recycled toilets and urinals in this way.
• Nature trails: You will be walking on old toilets and urinals when exploring San Antonio’s Calaveras Park Nature Trail. More than a thousand recycled toilets and urinals were used to pave the park’s trails.
• Mulch: Botanical gardens have found that crushed toilets and urinals are a welcome addition to mulch.

Waterless Co. encourages building owners and facility managers to recycle their old toilets and urinals and to contact their local recycling center for more information.

The manufacturer of waterless urinals sought to find what facility managers think of these types of fixtures. Nearly 100 commercial, educational, and government building facility managers, who have installed waterless or no-water urinal systems in their facilities, were asked their thoughts on waterless or no-flush urinals.

“This is one of the few surveys taken on the subject,” says Klaus Reichardt, founder and managing partner of Waterless Co. LLC, a Vista, CA-based manufacturer of waterless urinals. “However, with the growing interest in greening building operations, the systems are becoming quite common and are now found in many locations.”

As to overall opinions, when asked if they had a choice between installing conventional or waterless urinals again, 60% indicated they would install waterless urinals. Twenty percent reported they would return to conventional urinals and another 20% noted they were unsure which they would select.

When asked why they installed a waterless system in the first place, more than 40% indicated it was because of “environmental awareness.” Thirty percent reported it was because of escalating water and sewer costs, while the rest hoped the waterless systems could help reduce restroom odors and lower maintenance costs.

Among other findings:
* Asked what they liked most about waterless urinals, 42% answered “saving water.” Fifty percent noted it was to help green their facility.

* As to restroom odors, about half reported there was no increase in odor problems with waterless urinals, while the other half noted there were more odors or they were not sure.

Cleaning, Maintenance, and Concerns
The survey also asked several questions regarding the cleaning and maintenance of no-flush urinals. For instance, 60% noted their janitorial crews change the traps or cartridges installed in most all waterless urinal systems. About the same percentage indicated they clean the waterless system using the same cleaners and methods they used to clean conventional urinals.

There were also some complaints about no-water urinals, mostly in regards to the trap/cartridges found on some systems. Nearly half of the respondents reported the trap/cartridges do not last as long as their manufacturer indicates and cost considerably more than anticipated.

“This is definitely true with some no-water systems,” says Reichardt. “This is why managers must do their homework and select a waterless system that helps save both water and money.”

Approximately 1,000 facility managers were e-mailed invitations to take the online survey. Nearly 100 answered some or all questions on the survey. All responses were tallied in the final results. The survey was conducted the last week of May 2008.

EPA’s WaterSense Program
In 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced WaterSense, a partnership program created to enable commercial and residential specifiers to identify products that help to reduce water use. The EPA WaterSense page on urinals can be found here…

A new survey asked approximately 700 facility managers, jansan manufacturers, distributors, and building service contractors their thoughts on rest room odors.

What was most notable about the responses was how strongly the respondents feel regarding odor issues. For instance, when asked if an odor present in a rest room made them more concerned about germs, nearly 85% vociferously said yes.

The survey was conducted by AlturaSolutions Communications for Waterless Co LLC. About 700 people were invited to take the online survey with more than 100 completing it. The survey was conducted in mid-January 2008 and has a confidence rating of 95%.*

Some noteworthy results from the survey include:

• Seventy-one percent believe rest room odors are a sign of improper
cleaning.

• Conversely, no odor or a fresh smelling rest room is a sign of a well-maintained rest room, say 81% of the respondents.

• Sixty-six percent indicated that an unpleasant rest room odor would deter them from returning to a restaurant or store and 47% said they would tell a manager or “someone in authority” about the odor.

• Sixty-eight percent said that a pine odor does not mean clean when it comes to rest rooms.

Some of the questions focused on where odors are most typically found, for instance in what types of facilities.

Restaurants were at the top of the list, with 53% indicating this is where they most commonly notice malodors in public places. This was followed by large public places, such as airports, sports stadiums, and convention centers. At the bottom of the list were libraries and “where I work.”

About half of the respondents believe rest room odors come from floors; twenty-five percent said odors come from toilets and urinals, and a small percentage indicate odors come from sink and floor drains.

“In fact, many rest room odors are the result of sewer gasses coming up through the drain,” says Klaus Reichardt, managing partner of Waterless Co LLC. “This happens when the water in the drain’s u-tube or trap evaporates.”

* This means that even if more people took the survey, it is a 95% certainty that the responses would be about the same.

Saved at the last minute, 2007 turned out to be almost the driest year on record for Atlanta, GA and much of the South. Last year, Atlanta received just 31.85 inches of rainfall. The dubious honor for the driest year was 1954, when only 31.80 inches of rainfall was recorded. Normally, the city receives more than 50 inches annually.

However, the South is not the only area suffering drought conditions. Large areas of western United States and even parts of Canada are either in a drought or have received considerably less rainfall than normal. It has not yet been determined if this is simply a temporary weather trend or signs of a climate change.

Understanding where and how we use water is often the first step in saving this precious resource. The following quiz highlights ways each one of us can help reduce water consumption in both residential and public facilities and is designed to test your water IQ.

1. A small drip from a leaky home or office faucet can waste about how
many gallons of water per year?

• 100
• 1500
• 3000
• Negligible

2. Switching to low-flow showerheads in homes and gym locker rooms can
save about how much water per minute?

• One gallon
• Four gallons
• Six gallons
• More than eight gallons

3. On average, low-flow sink faucets can save about how much water per
use?

• One gallon
• Two to three gallons
• Four to five gallons
• More than five gallons per minute

4. A leaky toilet can waste how many gallons of water?

• As much as four thousand gallons per day
• More than four thousand gallons per year
• About one thousand gallons per month
• About one thousand gallons per year

5. A waterless urinal can save how much water per year?

• As much as 10,000 gallons
• As much as 25,000 gallons
• As much as 50,000 gallons
• As much as 40,000 gallons

6. On average, how much of our water use is for landscaping?

• As much as 25%
• As much as 30%
• As much as 70%
• As much as 40%

7. An office has 250 males who use 10 urinals about three times per
day. If waterless urinals are installed, how much can this typical office
save in sewer and water costs per year?

• About $500 per year
• About $1500 per year
• About $2000 per year
• About $3000 per year

8. Which of the following countries has the highest average per capita
water consumption per day?

• United States
• Canada
• France
• England

Answers*
1. 3000
2. Four gallons
3. Two to three gallons
4. As much as two hundred gallons per day
5. As much as 40,000 gallons of water per year
6. As much as 70%
7. About $3,000 per year
8. Canada

*All statistics are derived from various reliable studies or
from U.S. state and local government water district Web sites.

Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc. (TROSA), Durham, NC- one of the nation’s leading and most respected residential, re-educational centers helping men, women, and young adults with substance abuse problems- will be receiving waterless urinal systems donated by Waterless Co, LLC, for a new facility the organization is building.

TROSA, which treats people free of charge, has been recognized as a leader in drug treatment therapies by Duke University and the Public Broadcasting Service and is a finalist in the Ford Foundation’s Leadership for a Changing World award. The waterless urinals will be installed in the facility’s future gymnasium/community center, now under construction, which will be
used by more than 500 patients living at the treatment center.

“With as many individuals as we service, waterless urinals will [help us] save money in utility and water costs,” says Scott Duff, head of TROSA’s In-Kind Department. “And it will allow us to show that we are a good steward of the community through water conservation.”

Duff adds that the realized savings will be reinvested into TROSA as it helps more people “trying to make a change in their lives.”

According to Klaus Reichardt, managing partner of Waterless Co, TROSA has proven that it is not only one of the best but one of the most successful drug treatment facilities in the United States. “We are proud to help it in any way we can and honor it for its concern about people trying to improve their lives and its efforts toward conserving water, sustainability, and
protecting the environment,” he says. “This organization is good news all the way around.”

Facility managers may now take advantage of a free evaluation sheet to determine if waterless urinal systems will help them save money, along with water. Developed by Waterless Co. of Vista, CA, the evaluation sheet asks facility managers a series of simple questions, such as:

How many males populate the facility?
Number of urinals in the facility?
Hours of operation?
Amount of water used per urinal, per flush?
Local water and sewer rates per 1,000 gallons?

Most urinals use between one and three gallons of water, depending on whether they were manufactured before or after 1992. Studies also indicate that each male in a facility uses a urinal about three times per day.

“The facility’s total cost of water is on the water bill,” says Klaus Reichardt, managing partner of Waterless Co. “This evaluation sheet lets facility managers know approximately how much they are spending just to provide potable water for urinals.”

According to Reichardt, the evaluation sheet, which is available in either manual or electronic spreadsheet form, also allows facility managers, who have already installed waterless urinal systems, to compare their maintenance costs to a conventional urinal.

“These costs do not apply to cleaning the urinal,” informs Reichardt, “since cleaning a conventional and waterless urinal are very similar. What it compares is the typical annual repair and plumbing costs of a conventional urinal and the annual costs for trap cylinders and other products necessary to maintain a waterless system.”

Although some assumptions must be made, Reichardt says most facility managers find the evaluation sheet provides a workable picture of how much money conventional urinals are costing them. “In some facilities, they may find a waterless system will not save them enough money to warrant their installation,” he says, “but others may find that waterless systems will save them considerable sums annually.”

For more information on the evaluation sheet or to receive a free copy, contact watersavings@waterless.com.