Waterless urinals are much more than water conservation
Commercial building owners ten years ago were predominantly concerned with maintaining a clean public toilet facility, and little or no thought was given to sustainability. It was a known operational fact that especially for businesses that had a high movement of people that the cleanliness of their toilet facilities boosted the success of that business.
ZF101 Zeroflush waterless urinals being installed at Enoggera army base by David Hutchins of Whywait Plumbing
According to a recent industry survey, more than 75% of adults would avoid a restaurant, hotel or shopping centre if they encountered dirty toilets. A clean and hygienic bathroom is absolutely critical for any building. In many ways, the toilet facilities act as an ambassador and speak volumes about the overall management of a building.
In recent years it has become increasingly clear that building managers must also strive for sustainability. As such, businesses and building owners and managers strive to incorporate products that are not only sustainable but are visibly environmentally friendly.
As one of the most visible areas of any building, the toilet facilities are the source of more complaints than any other operational aspect of a building. Unfortunately, public toilet facilities are one of the most challenging areas in a building to keep clean. Sustainable product choices in the toilets contribute to a cleaner, more hygienic experience and are also better for the environment.
An area that Whywait Plumbing has not only pioneered but continued to develop a product in is waterless urinals. Waterless urinals such as ZeroFlush waterless urinals are only mentioned in an environmental context, where both the immense water savings of up to 152000 litres and more per urinal, per year and carbon emissions reduction of up to 320kg per urinal, per year are cited.
ZeroFlush waterless urinals reduce odours
There is a common misconception that waterless urinals are not as hygienic as their flush urinal counterparts. However, waterless urinal systems actually reduce odours and contribute to a cleaner, more sanitary public toilet facility. A few facts demonstrate why:
- Urine is virtually odourless.
- Urine odour primarily results from the reaction of urine with water and air.
- Without water, the urinal quickly dries between uses and produces no detectable odour.
Waterless urinals reduce disease-carrying microorganisms
Dr Michael Hoffman, professor of environmental science and dean of graduate studies at the California Institute of Technology, concluded in an independent study that, “The dual barrier system provided in waterless urinals are predicted to be 500 times more effective against the back migration of sewer gases as compared to conventional P-trap water barriers.”
Bacteria and viruses thrive on moist surfaces, and the wet surface of a water flushing urinal is a breeding ground for their growth. Flushing doesn’t kill bacteria and viruses. Worse, the flush creates a mist that spreads bacteria and viruses to every surface in the toilet facility.
Dr Charles Gerba, professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, explains, “Waterless urinals offer a major improvement in public sanitation. Flushing is eliminated, which greatly reduces the almost continuous production of microbial aerosols, and the surface and sides of urinals are drier, which reduces the survival of human disease-carrying microorganisms and prevents their growth.”
According to the Journal of Infection Control, bacteria such as those that cause the influenza virus can thrive and linger on surfaces for up to 72 hours. As a result, water flushing urinals contain more bacteria and microorganisms than waterless urinals. The waterless feature of waterless urinals can help reduce the risk of cross-contamination because users are not required to touch a flushing device that may harbour bacteria.
ZeroFlush waterless urinals ensure a user-friendly experience
Waterless urinals require minimum maintenance to ensure a clean, hygienic, sustainable, user-friendly experience. The ZeroFlush waterless urinal installed by Whywait Plumbing requires like all urinals periodic maintenance. At the same time, daily it is merely a matter of a simple spray of the urinal with Spray and Go a mild cleaner that requires no wiping clean as you would with a flush urinal. Because there’s no water, there will be no limescale or calcite build-up, which makes cleaning fast and easy.
With ZeroFlush waterless urinals, building owners and managers can be assured that their public toilet facilities will be sustainable, cleaner, and the experience of their clients will be both hands-free and hygienic.
To find out more about ZeroFlush waterless urinals call Whywait Plumbing on (07) 5580 4311 to organise a site audit.
