Open Air Business May 2016

FUNCTION VENUES
Tardis-style portable toilets
are a budget option
PHOTOS BY: SITE EQUIP WWW.SITE-EQUIP.CO.UK
AN ABSOLUTE ESSENTIAL in any
outdoor event’s infrastructure is
the provision of toilets. There are
two main types of portable toilets
for events: Tardis-style units,
known as such in the industry
for their resemblance to Doctor
Who’s time-machine, and trailermounted
units. Tardis units are
the most basic portable toilet
featuring a single re-circulating
chemical action. They are a
‘budget box,’ ideal for smaller
functions. However, your guests
may hold ill-conceived ideas
about them as they are likely to
have found one in a less than
ideal condition somewhere.
The other, far more glamorous
option is the trailer-mounted
system that can either be plugged
into a water supply, use a vacuum
flush (which can also refresh
the air in the trailer), or be a
recirculating chemical system
like the Tardis unit. This type of
portable toilet is much larger
and contains a combination of
cubicles, handbasins and urinals.
Trailers range between 10 and 25
feet in length, with units being
supplied in many configurations
of cubicles, cubicles with
handbasins and urinals. They will
need power, although if mains
supply is not available a generator
can usually be hired as part of the
package.
Generally speaking, trailermounted
toilets start with
1+1 units - one cubicle with a
handbasin for women and one
for men. Larger trailer-mounted
units can accommodate three
ladies’ cubicles and 10 urinals,
or three cubicles for ladies with
three cubicles and two urinals
for gentlemen. It is also possible
to incorporate baby change
and disabled facilities. The
configurations really are endless
as is the scope for decoration and
optional extras such as internal
and external finishes, attendants,
toiletries, music and even DVD
players.
There is, as one might expect,
a wide difference in the quality of
trailer-mounted units. The most
basic units are to be found at
festivals and less grand events,
while the more top-end units
are supplied to weddings and
other up-market gatherings such
as corporate events and as VIP
facilities at festivals.
CALCULATING TOILETS
Public events, such as music
festivals and county shows,
have guidelines for calculating
the number of toilets required
published in the Purple Guide (a set
of instructions for health, safety and
welfare at public events produced
by the Events Industry Forum).
For a private, more intimate affair,
however, you may want to be a little
more generous. For example, where
the Purple Guide recommends
one toilet per 100 people, wedding
guests will probably be happier
with one cubicle per 10-25 people
to avoid queueing. So, if you have
a mixed group of wedding guests
numbering 100, you might want to
go for a trailer offering two female
cubicles, one male cubicle and two
urinals.
Trailer-mounted units supplied
with hot handwash basins can be
non-mains connected as they come
with fresh water supplied, which
is heated either from the on-site
power supply or by a generator.
Portable toilet units should always
be delivered to an event in a
scrupulously clean condition, with
the supplier operating to stringent
Health and Safety and British
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