In January 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office published an application for a “waterless urinal” and “waterless urinal cartridge.” This typically would not be news.

Because the market for no-water urinals is expected to grow significantly over the next decade, several restroom fixture manufacturers are jumping into the no-water urinal marketplace.

However, this application was different. Instead of being from a restroom fixture manufacturer, it was from Boeing, the company that makes passenger airliners. An abstract from the patent office referencing the application reads as follows:

A waterless urinal cartridge for waterless urinals includes a housing and a cover. The housing includes a waste reservoir configured to hold a predetermined volume of wastewater, and a drainage aperture configured so that an amount of wastewater exceeding the predetermined volume of wastewater flows through the drainage aperture to exit the housing.

But why the patent and why are they doing this?

Boeing is planning on installing urinal-only restrooms in some future airliners. It is believed that by installing urinal-only bathrooms, airlines will be able to carry a few more passengers when air travel returns to normal.

But why waterless urinals? The answer to that is Boeing discovered the following facts about waterless urinals that many building owners and managers are already aware of:

Waterless urinals tend to be less costly to purchase than traditional urinals. Primarily, this is because there are so many fewer parts.

They are less costly to install. A waterless urinal needs to be connected to the sewage pipe. That is all. No water or water connections are required nor the plumbing that comes along with them. On an airliner, the waterless urinals would be connected to an onboard reservoir that holds wastewater until it can be emptied at an airport.

Waterless urinals are most likely lighter than traditional urinals. While weight is rarely an issue when a no-water urinal is installed in a building, weight is everything on an airliner. The more weight the plane can shed, the more fuel-efficient it is. It’s highly likely that Boeing had their own form of “weigh-in,” and found waterless urinals, because of their fewer plumbing needs, came in lighter.

Because waterless urinals have fewer plumbing requirements, there is greater flexibility as to where they are installed. Boeing probably found this to be a significant plus.

Waterless urinals are easy to clean. Whether installed onboard a plane or in a restroom, in most cases, a waterless urinal just needs to be wiped clean using an all-purpose cleaner. A disinfectant can also be used once the urinal has been cleaned, adhering to cleaning “best practices.” However, no abrasive powder cleaners are necessary. Usually, powder cleaners are used to remove water stains and spots. These do not develop with a waterless urinal.

No-water urinals tend to be odor-free. It is water combined with urine, which increases the chances that bacteria will develop in the interior of the urinal. Without water, bacteria cannot survive, minimizing if not eliminating the opportunity that odors will develop.

Most men are accustomed to using waterless urinals now, unlike a decade or more ago when a sign had to be posted—“use it and then walk away.” Today, most gentlemen have used no-water urinals at school, in the office, at trade conventions and elsewhere. In fact, they are so accustomed to them, they often wonder why more facilities do not install waterless urinals.