Porta-potties: A game of thrones

If you’re accustomed to indoor plumbing, using a porta-potty might not be high on [your list of favorite activities](. But the industry isn’t in the dumps—across the US portable toilets are a [$2 billion business](. As a result, the industry is [ripe with competition]( with some companies resorting to dirty tactics to stay ahead. That competition has also led to innovation. Today providers are experimenting with sustainable waste sterilization methods and installing [surround sound systems]( in luxury toilet trailers. Yes, even the portable toilet has a role in[the experience economy](. The bottom line is that porta-potties are a necessity—and not just for music festivals, outdoor weddings, and [presidential inaugurations.]( Temporary toilets are an increasingly important way to provide sanitation to [refugees,]( the [homeless]( and those who live in underdeveloped and rural areas. They can also be an eco-friendly technology, [conserving billions of liters]( of fresh water a year compared to regular toilets, at a time when water is increasingly scarce. Let’s lift the lid on this important contraption. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Obsession] Porta-potties May 08, 2019 The smell of success --------------------------------------------------------------- If you’re accustomed to indoor plumbing, using a porta-potty might not be high on [your list of favorite activities](. But the industry isn’t in the dumps—across the US portable toilets are a [$2 billion business](. As a result, the industry is [ripe with competition]( with some companies resorting to dirty tactics to stay ahead. That competition has also led to innovation. Today providers are experimenting with sustainable waste sterilization methods and installing [surround sound systems]( in luxury toilet trailers. Yes, even the portable toilet has a role in[the experience economy](. The bottom line is that porta-potties are a necessity—and not just for music festivals, outdoor weddings, and [presidential inaugurations.]( Temporary toilets are an increasingly important way to provide sanitation to [refugees,]( the [homeless]( and those who live in underdeveloped and rural areas. They can also be an eco-friendly technology, [conserving billions of liters]( of fresh water a year compared to regular toilets, at a time when water is increasingly scarce. Let’s lift the lid on this important contraption. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( Reuters/Adrees Latif By the digits [265 liters (70 gallons):]( Amount of waste a typical porta-potty can hold at a time [702,743 liters (185,645 gallons):]( Estimated maximum human waste capacity at Donald Trump’s inauguration [$178:]( Total cost per day to rent a personal porta-potty at the Country Thunder Music Festival in Arizona [$150,000:]( Salary that porta-potty “salesgirls” at Call-a-head, a New York-based portable toilet company, can make per year [2.3 billion:]( Number of people worldwide who don’t have basic sanitation facilities like toilets or latrines [170 billion liters (45 billion gallons):]( Volume of fresh water saved annually from the use of portable toilets, according to an industry group Person of interest New York’s toilet king --------------------------------------------------------------- “The porta-potty business is as dirty as you’d think,” [David Gauvey Herbert writes]( in New York magazine. There are five companies that control the industry in New York City: Mr. John, A Royal Flush, John to Go, Johnny on the Spot, and—the one porta-potty ring to rule them all—Call-a-Head. Charles Howard took over the Call-a-Head business from his father in 1981. Since then, annual revenue has grown from $50,000 to $35 million, and inventory has increased [from 150 porta-potties to 18,000](. Howard developed white-and-blue color schemes to make the company’s porta-potties seem sterile, and was also smart enough to get into the luxury toilet trailer business early. Call-a-Head’s Versailles trailer, complete with a sound system and ebony wood doors, rents for [$3,000 a day](. But competitors like Gary Weiner, the owner of Mr. John, as well as United Site Services, the country’s largest portable-toilet conglomerate, are eyeing Howard’s crown—and Howard might be in danger of losing his grip on the throne. Call-a-Head has been flush with scandals in recent years: The company was fined for polluting a national park in Queens, Howard faced rumors that he burned his own equipment to cash in on the insurance, and Call-a-Head has been [sued at least seven times]( for failing to pay workers overtime. Giphy Pop quiz Which musician fielded complaints about a smelly porta-potty? Bob DylanCherMadonnaBruce Springsteen Correct. Dylan’s neighbors in Malibu said the stench of a portable toilet used by Dylan’s security guards made them nauseous. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Have you tried the Quartz app yet? --------------------------------------------------------------- 👉Keep up with news for you, curated by Quartz editors 👉Engage with an informed community of leaders, subject-matter experts, and curious minds 👉Personalize your feed with the topics you love [Get the app for free]( History lesson All’s fair in poop and war --------------------------------------------------------------- Portable toilets [first originated]( in the 1940s during World War II, when shipyard workers in California were losing valuable time by walking a long way to the restroom. To improve efficiency, the laborers built makeshift portable toilets that were essentially steel and wooden containers with a small holding tank. As part of the war effort, these transportable toilets weren’t just vital on the ground and sea—they were essential in the air, too. [Canada’s Bomber Command Museum]( describes why fighter aircrafts needed restrooms: “Concentration on life and death tasks is well nigh impossible when the need to piss dominates.” But the rudimental and messy airborne loo known as the Elsan wasn’t popular with pilots—there are anecdotes from soldiers who remember excrement splattering throughout the aircraft, and stray urine freezing mid-air. In the decades after WWII, porta-potties quickly evolved as businesses realized the there was demand from construction and event sites. In the ‘70s, fiberglass was the leading material for portable toilet production, but[by the ‘80s]( lightweight models made of plastic predominated. Portable toilet deodorizer—which you may know as [that infamous blue liquid]( appeared on the scene to kill odor-causing bacteria. Quotable “This loathsome creation invariably overflowed on long trips and in turbulence was always prone to bathe the nether regions of the user. It was one of the true reminders to me that war is hell.” —An unnamed British airman describing airplane toilets during WWII, according to [The Telegraph]( Have a friend who would enjoy our Obsession with Porta-potties? [ [Forward link to a friend](mailto:?subject=Thought you'd enjoy.&body=Read this Quartz Obsession email – to the email – Reuters/Toru Hanai This one weird trick! Put a lid on it --------------------------------------------------------------- It’s not just soldiers who have horror stories about porta-potties; cleaning companies occasionally contend with abandoned [firearms and corpses](. But there’s a simple way you can do your part: Lower the lid when you’re done. Toilet lids left open allow odors to spread, while closing the lid ensures that smells exit through the tank’s vent. “When a breeze blows over the opening of the vent stack, it creates a sort of vacuum effect,” Sam Cooper, a quality control engineer at PolyJohn, [told Quartz](. “The smells are pulled up the vent stack and out, hopefully keeping them from accumulating in the unit itself. This almost never happens if people do not close the lid.” Quick guide How would you like your human waste? --------------------------------------------------------------- Chemical toilets are probably the most well-known kind of porta-potty. [They flush]( the contents of the toilet bowl into a waste holding tank, where chemical deodorizers kill bacteria and odors. But there are several other flavors of portable toilets: ❄️ Freezing toilets: These use electricity to freeze waste, which stops bacterial activity and eliminates odor. [One Finnish model]( the Icelett, even uses energy from the freezing process to keep the toilet seat warm. 🍃 Composting toilets: These use microorganisms like bacteria and fungi to turn waste into compost, which can then be [safely used]( to fertilize soil. They’re [well suited]( to rural areas and national parks where there is no access to water lines. 🔥 Incineration toilets: Exactly what you think it is—these toilets can [cremate crap]( using a variety of energy sources, producing sterile ash. Fun fact! The [Stand Up]( is a biodegradable peeing accessory designed to help women use porta-potties. The device looks like [a neon pink cone]( and is meant to make rogue urine streams a thing of the past. Reuters/Jonathan Bachman Big idea The planet needs porta-potties --------------------------------------------------------------- About 4.5 billion people worldwide don’t have access to a safe toilet, and 892 million people practice open defecation, [according to the United Nations](. Porta-potties have a part to play. Most standard models use a fraction of the water a regulate toilet needs to flush, and as Earth’s [fresh water supplies disappear]( portable bathrooms could make a difference. Porta-potties can also be life-changing for those who live in rural areas, or places where there is no access to plumbing or sewage treatment. Adequate portable bathrooms mean that [waste is properly disposed of]( which can reduce the spread of disease. [At least 1.8 billion]( people around the world drink feces-contaminated water, which leads to life-threatening pathogens like dysentery. Giphy Poll How has your porta-potty experience been? [Click here to vote]( I feel nauseous just thinking about it!It’s been gross... but bearableI try my best to avoid them 💬let's talk In yesterday’s poll about [butter]( 57% of you said you keep it in the fridge. 🤔 [What did you think of today’s email?](mailto:obsession%2Bfeedback@qz.com?cc=&subject=Thoughts%20about%20porta-potties&body=) 💡 [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:obsession%2Bideas@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) [🎲 Show me a random Obsession]( Today’s email was written by [Aisha Hassan]( edited by[Jessanne Collins,]( and produced by[Luiz Romero.]( The correct answer to the quiz is Bob Dylan. Enjoying the Quartz Obsession? [Send this link]( to a friend! If you click a link to an e-commerce site and make a purchase, we may receive a small cut of the revenue, which helps support our ambitious journalism. See [here]( for more information. Not enjoying it? No worries. [Click here]( to unsubscribe. 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