An Australian manufacturer has developed a solution to a unique problem – what to do with disused portable toilet facilities – creating a circular economy that is saving the company money and reducing the amount of waste ending up in landfill.
The portable toilet rental market has grown significantly in recent years, prompting an explosion in product development, as manufacturers look to cater for a wide variety of sectors including events, construction and mining.
Managing Director at Instant Products Group, Scott Rawson, says among the new products they’ve brought to market in recent years, are larger hire facilities – some with up to 16 cubicles – often used at festivals and other outdoor events.
Mr Rawson says while there is an increasing demand for larger toilet blocks, there is a challenge; what happens when such unique facilities reach the end of their hire-life.
“There are a range of sectors that can and do purchase single-cubicle facilities when they’re no longer needed in our hire fleet. But the larger facilities are so niche, once they’re superseded or no longer being hired out, there’s simply no further use for them.”
“We had to make a decision as a company what to do, that wasn’t just a complete demolition that saw everything go to landfill.”
Mr Rawson says the company is now opting to strip the disused facilities, reusing various components and sending the structure itself to scrap metal recycling.
“We’ve been able to reuse handbasins, tapware, electrical fittings and even some of the toilet components. We’re also stripping out the copper from the electrical wiring and along with the steel structure, sending these to scrap metal recycling.”
“These are large facilities, with the framework of each one containing around five tonnes of steel. That’s a significant amount of metal to be recycling.”
While there are some cost benefits to the company, Mr Rawson says that’s not the motivating factor.
“Scrap metal recycling and reusing various components does create some cost efficiencies, but the key reason behind the decision was to align with our broader environmental strategy, which is to introduce sustainability measures where we can.”
Mr Rawson points to other measures in the company which have sustainability at the forefront;
- Rainwater Harvesting: Infrastructure is being installed at two company sites to effectively harvest rainfall and ground water run off for use in wash-down facilities.
- Water Efficiencies: Low-flush toilets are used where appropriate to reduce the amount of water used. The company has also developed real-time monitoring technology to accurately track usage of hire facilities, which can assist in creating water efficiencies by minimising the risk of spills and over-flow events.
- Solar Power: Instant Products Group is currently developing a new site north-east of Perth that will operate entirely off-grid – relying on solar power generation with the assistance of batteries. Solar generation is currently being used at company facilities to power on-site lighting, and solar generation is also a key feature in the company’s self-contained toilet facilities.
- Environmental Rehabilitation: Mr Rawson says the company is working with a local environmental organisation at their newest facility to assist in protecting Carnaby’s Cockatoos in the area, with revegetation works also underway at the site.
Mr Rawson says while it’s the first time the company has looked to decommission facilities in this way, it highlights that solutions can be found that aren’t just contributing to landfill.
“We want to always be moving in the right direction in terms of sustainability, and sometimes that means considering an option we haven’t taken before. It’s also a reminder to other businesses that there is likely an opportunity to re-use or recycle within their own sectors – even if it means thinking about things a little differently.”