Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1398793
16 I PSAI Association Insight, August 4, 2021 Clean and Green; The Future of Portable Sanitation By Hannah Watson In a world that is increasingly focused on convenience, the portable sanitation industry has grown immensely over the course of the last 15 years. Despite the commercial successes of this essential industry, the profession of portable sanitation still has something of a bad rap in the public consciousness. At parks, parties, concerts, sports games, or even public events, many people use portable restrooms reluctantly rather than willingly. This hesitant attitude towards portable sanitation is primarily stoked by ideas of uncleanliness, despite the fact that most portable restrooms are sanitized frequently. This fixation on cleanliness will be especially relevant as the United States enters a post-COVID world. Furthermore, many people are uneducated about the salient and widespread benefits of portable sanitation that go far beyond convenience, most notably environmental benefits. Going forward, the portable sanitation industry has Hannah Watson Essay a once in a generation chance to reshape the way it is viewed in the mind of the average person. A few ways of changing the world of portable sanitation to be a respected alternative would be to institute small and cost- effective changes that prioritize cleanliness and by highlighting the positive environmental benefits of using portable sanitation. These two approaches will be especially relevant in a society focused on public health and environmentalism: a society that we are rapidly approaching. Obviously, the world as we know it has changed considerably in the past year, for better and for worse. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult storm, every cloud has a silver lining. Without a doubt, the coronavirus pandemic is the biggest public health event in a century, and one of the results of the past year is that the world has grown exponentially more conscious of being sanitary and the importance of being clean. Now more than ever people are washing their hands, using hand sanitizers, avoiding touching public surfaces, and wiping down surfaces that they come in contact with. The portable sanitation industry can make small but important changes in some products that address these prevalent concerns and have a broader appeal to a more health-conscious public. For example, most portable handwashes are practical and widely used because they can be operated using only a foot, by pumping water through the faucet. Perhaps portable toilet manufacturers can come up with a simple and cheap way to open and close restroom doors using only a foot, to lower contact with a public surface. Other ideas include increasing ventilation, adding a sanitary wipe dispenser, and installing a small hook to hold bags or purses in portable Hannah's dad, Tony Watson