Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1212564
6 SURVEY OF WASTE DISPOSAL OPTIONS & THEIR IMPACT ON THE PORTABLE SANITATION INDUSTRY © Copyright 2020 by the PSAI. All rights reserved. A Survey to Uncover Current Disposal Realities for Portable Sanitation Companies Each year since 2015 the PSAI has conducted an annual survey of industry members. Disposal issues have consistently been cited as one of the top three "biggest challenges you deal with every day" and also as one of the "biggest issues your company will face over the next five years." Representative comments related to this issue include: "We have very few sanitary districts that will take [our waste] and now we are at [their] mercy. We have big events on weekends, and most [disposal facilities are only open] banker's hours. […] trucks have to call head of time so [disposal staff] can come out to stand over you … [while] you dump." "Treatment plants don't want portable sanitation waste." "Cost of disposal [keeps going up]." "Various regulations within the different cities." "[We need] convenient and affordable waste disposal." To better understand these issues, the PSAI decided to undertake an industry-wide survey into the circumstances being faced by operators in the field. In the summer of 2019, the PSAI developed, and widely publicized, a survey specifically focused on disposal issues. We used industry publications, websites, and Facebook groups to encourage participation. Volunteers also placed calls to more than 400 companies. Both Members and nonmembers were promised a copy of the completed report for responding with their data. By the deadline, a total of 60 companies provided information. They appear to be a representative sample of English-speaking North American companies with portable sanitation as a primary business line. Respondents were predominantly from the United States and Canada as shown in figures 4, 5 and 6. In total, operations in thirty-two (32) US states and five (5) Canadian Provinces were represented in the results; they were well dispersed in terms of geography. 9 Four other countries globally were represented by one company each. Because of the low numbers and wide geographic diversity of participants outside English- speaking North America, our analysis will be confined to data supplied by US and Canadian respondents. Who Responded – Figure 4 Respondent Company Operations by State Figure 5 Respondent Company Operations by Province Figure 6 3 3 3 10 3 5 2 4 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 3 2 US Canada Other 81% 12% 7% US Canada Other 81% 12% 7% 60 companies • Complete data: 53 • Partial data: 7