We runners have a complicated relationship with portable toilets. We’re happy to see them before (and sometimes during and often after) a race, especially when we’ve been shot-gunning liquids and glucose. But that minute-plus (on average) we spend in their odiferous confines tends to yield some memorable-and-not-in-a-good-way moments. However, instead of shaking your fist at them, we suggest cutting the portable toilet some slack. Everything from the mysterious blue liquid to the height of the drop to the placement of the urinal has been studied and calibrated to make the best of a crappy situation. Which intrigued us – there’s a lot more to these things than we thought.
How come they always run out of TP? A race’s budget often determines the quantity and quality of toilet paper, which costs about 25¢ to $1 per roll. How much each unit needs depends on the breakdown of men vs. women – more women means more TP – and the type of event. (In an average race, runners only use toilets at the start for 60 minutes or less.) The industry standard is two to four single-ply 1,000-sheet rolls per stall. “The number of rolls doesn’t matter near as much as what they are,” says Ron Inman, vice president of Honey Bucket. “You can get rolls with 500 sheets or 1,500 sheets. Our rolls are 1,500 sheets, single-ply. Dispensers hold three rolls, and we put an extra roll on the shelf.”
What’s the lifespan of a unit? “Port-a-loos will easily last 10 years,” says Brinton. “There are toilets more than 30 years old.” The secret of their durability is high-density polyethylene. The plastic is “relatively pliable,” he says, a key quality when you’re continually hauling the houses on and off trucks. “You want toilets that will absorb impact so they won’t crack and leak—a problem with a lot of the old fiberglass tanks.” High-density polyethylene also won’t rot, host nasty bacteria, or break down from cleaning agents – of which it will see many.
What happens to everything? First, workers run a hose from a truck that sucks everything from the abyss. If the toilet is staying put, they spend three to five minutes cleaning it and refilling the blue stuff/precharge. Trucks can carry up to 1,500 gallons of waste and 500 gallons of precharge or fresh water (precharge mix is added once water is in the potty). If the unit is leaving, it’s pumped out, loaded on a truck, and pressure-washed.