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Community garden on a vacant lot: is one porta potty enough all season, and how often should it be serviced?

Toni S.asked 0 viewsHome Renovations & Long-termHome and long termStandard unitService frequencyHandwash stationUnits per personTruck access

Our neighborhood group took over a vacant corner lot for a community garden, about 30 raised beds. Volunteers come and go all week, mostly early mornings, and on workday Saturdays we can have 25 or so people out there for four or five hours. There's no building and no water hookup, and the closest restroom is a gas station a few blocks away that people have started grumbling about.

We're thinking one standard unit by the gate on the gravel strip next to the street so the truck can pull right up. Is one enough for those busy Saturdays, or do those days need a second unit? Is weekly service fine when weekday use is so light? And since there's no water, is a sanitizer dispenser inside the unit okay, or should we get a handwash station since everyone's digging in soil and then grabbing snacks?

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1
Luis A.Bozeman, MT

One standard portable toilet is not enough for your busy Saturdays. The OSHA 1926.51 standard for construction sanitation requires one toilet for up to 20 workers. For your 25 volunteers on Saturdays, you need a second unit. A single unit will become overwhelmed and unsanitary during those four to five hour workdays.

For the light weekday use, weekly service is sufficient. The service visit includes pumping the holding tank, replenishing the deodorizer, and restocking toilet paper. The busy Saturdays will drive the need for service, not the sporadic weekday use. A handwash station is necessary since volunteers are handling soil and food. The hand sanitizer inside the unit is for after using the toilet, not for cleaning dirty hands. The handwash station uses its own water supply and is serviced on the same schedule.

0
Marcus B.Chicago, IL

Luis is right about the second unit for Saturdays, but he missed the ADA cluster rule. If you place two standard units together, the ADA 5 percent cluster rule requires one of them to be an ADA-compliant portable toilet, not a second standard unit. Your permit office may check for this on a public lot. For service, weekly works, but if Saturday use is heavy, ask the rental company about a midweek check; the holding tank fills faster with a crowd. Handwash stations are essential for garden grime, and they come with their own water supply.

  • Lisa G. Good catch on the ADA unit. Our church lot got the same note from the city once we went to two units. The wider door also helps volunteers carrying tools or a toddler, so it never sat unused.

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