In 1991, we were the first company to introduce no-flush urinals to North America. Since then, our products have helped customers here and around the world reduce water consumption and use water more efficiently.
As we enter 2024, we are excited to launch new products, strengthen our brand and empower our people. We are committed to our mission of reducing water consumption globally. That’s what drives us, motivates us, and defines us.
Have a Healthy, Happy New Year
As more and more facilities around our country transfer from traditional, water-using urinals to those that use no water at all, we’ve decided to compile a top ten list of what we call the Waterless Urinal Celebrities.
This is a partial list of all the major sites around the country that have made the wise decision to go waterless. These organizations are saving millions of gallons of water per year, helping organizations meet their sustainability initiatives, and reducing water risk in communities around the country.
As mentioned, this is just a partial list. Further, some of the organizations listed below did not install our no-water urinals.
However, that is not our focus. Instead, our focus is the big picture – how waterless urinals can help protect our planet.
With that said, here are the Top Ten Waterless Celebrities for 2023:
Mercedes Stadium. Atlanta
Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island
The Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
Shed Aquarium, Chicago
The Waldorf Astoria, Beverly Hills
State of Arizona (requires waterless urinals installed in all new and retrofitted facilities)
New York Mets Citi Field Stadium
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA.
Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA
Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
So, what facility will be on the Waterless Urinal Celebrity list in 2024? We’re already compiling a list. It just might have a few surprises. Keep in touch.
Waterless Co., Inc is a pioneer in water efficiency. We are the go-to company when it comes to reducing water consumption, understanding the many benefits of waterless urinals, and finding ways to use water more efficiently. For more information, contact a Waterless Co Specialist.
Traditionally, people of wealth use more water than low-income individuals. The reasons are apparent.
Wealthy people, such as those living in wealthy enclaves in California and other areas of the country, typically own large homes with a lot of acreage, even in city areas. These homes typically also have lots of water-hungry landscaping, all of which suggests greater water consumption.
Further, these folks have access to expensive water "toys," such as multi-head shower heads and double showers allowing two people to shower simultaneously, oversized bathtubs, home spas with hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, and more. Again, these all require water to enjoy - and lots of it.
However, a Stanford University research group found that in times of drought and when water curtailment measures are in place, it is the rich that see water bills go down, even when rates go up. On the other hand, it is lower-income households that see their water bills go up.
"A low-income household often has a different response to [water] curtailment measures and surcharges because of how much water they used before the drought," said Benjamin Rachunok, who conducted the work as a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford and is now an assistant professor at North Carolina State University.
"This can lead to different affordability outcomes for low- and-high-income people, even if the same processes and policies are applied to everyone."
According to lead researcher, Sarah Fletcher, lead researcher reported:
"The standard way of thinking about the connection between water scarcity and affordability has been to look at the cost of supplying water and how that cost is passed on to users.
But we must include people's behavioral responses to how the drought is unfolding and the restrictions that are put in place."
What Fletcher is saying is that when there is a water shortage, water providers often ask consumers to cut back on water consumption, and to help enforce this and make up for lost income, they often introduce water surcharges.
When this happens, high-income households have the flexibility to cut back on water use significantly, lowering their average water bill, even with the addition of a water surcharge.
On the other hand, low-income households have less flexibility in their water usage. Even if they can curtail their water use, the drop does not compensate for the additional surcharge charges. In other words, they pay more for water.
If we look at water use in commercial facilities, we see again that those facilities with the resources can invest in additional steps to reduce water consumption. This has been going on for several years now.
For instance, for years, building owners in large parts of California and other western states have been installing natural landscaping that uses less water. They have also been installing highly efficient toilets and urinals, or taking this a big step further, installing waterless urinals that use no water at all.
Having the resources to take these measures and install these fixtures helps lower water consumption significantly in these facilities along with their water utility bills - even with additional surcharge added to the bill.
Determining what percentage of an office building's budget applies to water can be challenging. There have always been several variables to consider and sometimes each tenant in the facility pays their own water utility bill.
Further, with so many office vacancies around the country at this time, water budget estimates that worked in the past likely do not work today.
However, for residential facilities, the story is different.
The authors of this study consider water to be affordable when it exceeds two to four percent of a household's income. The researchers go on to say that "while the cost of supplying water is the primary driver of water bills, even a small bill increase during droughts could make it difficult for some households to afford the water they need."
Hopefully, states will return to rebate and assistance programs that can help lower-income households install fixtures that use less or no water. Ultimately, it will be beneficial to these households and helpful for all of us as we struggle to always use water more efficiently and responsibly in times of drought and at all times.
Waterless Co., Inc. is a pioneer in water efficiency. We are the go-to company for reducing water consumption, understanding the many benefits of waterless urinals and finding ways to use Water more efficiently. For more information, contact a Waterless Co Specialist.
Source: Socio-hydrological drought impacts on urban water affordability, by Benjamin Rachunok and Sarah Fletcher, published online by Nature Water, January 19, 2023
PDF: Socio-hydrological drought impacts on urban water affordability.pdf
Waterless Co strives to be a good steward of the Environment. Here is what we are doing to reduce our company’s environmental impact:
Reuse packaging boxes in the shipping department whenever possible.
Reuse packaging materials in the shipping department.
Minimize packaging material we use to ship our urinals, liquids, and other products.
Reuse shipping pallets in shipping and repair where possible.
Use recycled paper and recycle papers from all workstations.
Recycle all food packaging, plastic containers, aluminum cans, glass bottles, etc.
We’ve installed high-efficiency lighting in our headquarters office and our warehouse and use natural lighting wherever possible.
Use green cleaning solutions and cleaning methods to clean our office.
Recycle toner cartridges from printers.
Invite employee suggestions to do more.
Install low-flow fixtures in restrooms and waterless urinals in our headquarters restroom.
Installed low flow and drip irrigation systems in the landscaped areas surrounding our offices and warehouse.
Switched from large delivery van, which use more fuel, to smaller, compact vans that are more fuel efficient and economical.
Depending on the time of year, we have minimized or eliminated our use of heating and air conditioning. Instead, we open doors and windows.
Pushing the green and sustainability envelop has proven to be fun and keeps us striving to do more!
It may sound incredible, but before 1989, urinals consumed about three to five gallons of water per flush (gpf) – or even more. This was reduced to about one gpf with urinals manufactured after 1992.
However, this is still one gallon per flush, too much. Even with the introduction of newer, more water-efficient urinals, it is still estimated that a single conventional urinal can use up to 20,000 to over 40,000 gallons of water per year. A lot depends on the location of the urinal – a school vs. a church, for example - how busy the facility is, and today, climate change.
As more areas worldwide become warmer, we are drinking more water and liquids. Consuming more beverages means more men need to use urinals.
This is also why no-flush urinals, such as those offered by Waterless Co., Inc., are attracting considerably more interest.
Ease of Installation. Waterless units are easy to install because they usually have the same footprint as a conventional urinal. The waterlines to the no-flush urinal will need to be capped or removed because they are no longer needed. Other than that, the Waterless urinal should fit comfortably where the conventional urinal was once installed.
Fewer plumbing requirements. Because plumbing requirements are minimized with Waterless urinals, expect cost savings here as well. No more costly sensors or flush handles. And because these areas of the urinal most often need repair, fewer repair bills mean lower costs.
More hygienic. Even before the pandemic, most people did not want to touch anything in the restroom. Now, it is viewed as a necessity. Waterless urinals were one step ahead of the game. They have always been no-touch. Use them and walk away. You can't get more hygienic than that.
Secret to technology. Waterless urinals use a unique device called an EcoTrap® placed at the bottom of the urinal. This device contains a thin layer of liquid sealant, usually BlueSeal. When urine enters the urinal, it passes through the EcoTrap™ and the sealant and then flows down to the drainpipe as usual. The sealant also prevents odors from escaping into the restroom, making waterless urinals hygienic and odor-free.
Views of cleaning professionals. Many cleaning workers did not know how to clean waterless urinals initially. While the cleaning needs of these urinals is similar to conventional urinals, there are some differences.
For instance, never pour water or scrub the inside of waterless urinal. Usually, they only need to be sprayed with an all-purpose cleaner on the urinal's surfaces and wiped clean. If a disinfectant is used, always clean before disinfecting. This is the correct way to use disinfectants on any surface.
The exact year we will not have enough water to meet our needs is difficult to predict. It depends on several factors, including population growth, climate change, and water management practices.
However, the World Resources Institute says, by 2040, nearly half of the world's population will live in water-stressed areas. This means there will not be enough water in these areas to meet the needs of people and ecosystems in these areas.
Climate change is expected to make the water crisis worse. As the planet warms, it will experience more extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods. These events will disrupt water supplies and make the situation more challenging.
We have two options:
· Cut water consumption wherever possible.
· Use water more efficiently.
The two are interconnected. Only use water where needed, and if required, use it as efficiently as possible.
Klaus Reichardt, CEO & Founder at Waterless Co Inc. He is widely known as a thought leader and influencer regarding water-related issues. Waterless company helps facilities use water more efficiently, reduce water consumption, and lower operating costs.
Waterless No-Flush™ urinals resemble conventional urinal fixtures. The only difference is that they save an estimated 35,000 gallons of water per year.
These easy-to-install urinals have no flush valves. There are no handles to touch, making them the perfect fixture in this post-pandemic era. They have no costly sensors to install or adjust and no moving parts.
The urinal bowl surfaces are smooth, and urine is removed by flowing down the bowl, helped by gravity alone.
And because the surface stays dry, no water deposits develop, no bacteria or similar contaminants grow, and odor problems are eliminated.
And, with ever-increasing water and sewer costs, Waterless No-Flush urinals have proved themselves to be tremendous energy and money savers – fitting in perfectly in our increasingly sustainability-focused world.
Waterless urinals, which were once a rarity, are now being produced by several manufacturers and can be found worldwide.
However, among all the systems introduced, the Waterless No-Flush™ Urinal system from Waterless Co., Inc. has proven to be the most reliable, cost-effective, and easy to maintain.
Unlike other systems, it does not require weekly/monthly flush-outs with water. When we say no-water, we mean no-water.
The trap/cylinder inserts, installed at the bottom of the urinal can quickly and easily be removed.
What's more, when they need to be changed, they can be refilled effortlessly with BlueSeal®, designed to be used with our all no-water urinals.
The Waterless EcoTrap® system is still the most affordable and effective trap/cylinder available in the market today.
Installing waterless urinal systems can offer several benefits to building managers.
Firstly, the installation cost is significantly lower as waterless urinals do not require flush handles, sensory systems, and incoming waterlines necessary for conventional urinals.
Secondly, waterless urinal systems rarely require plumbing repairs. For instance, one popular restaurant/bar manager shared that after a busy Saturday night, it was common for at least one of the restaurant's conventional urinals to be broken or clogged with debris. However, with waterless urinals, this rarely happens.
Thirdly, waterless urinals can help keep water bills in check, which is a significant cost-saving factor. Since 1991, the average water bill in the U.S. has risen about 50 percent, higher in some areas, making it a growing cost concern for building managers.
The most significant costs involve the trap/cylinders placed at the base of the urinal. Some no-water urinals require more frequent changing of these trap/cylinders than others, which can undermine the expected cost savings. Interestingly, the brands that require frequent trap/cylinder changes are also the most expensive, with some costing as much as $50 each. However, with our urinals, the trap/cylinder costs only about $10 per unit.
A conventional urinal uses 20,000 to 45,000 gallons of water per year. A waterless urinal uses no water at all. Further, some manufacturers of these urinals recommend flushing a gallon of water down the urinal each month. We do not. That rarely is necessary with our urinals, further helping to keep water consumption to a minimum.
The way waterless urinal systems work is quite simple. Instead of using water to flush away urine, gravity drains the urine into the trap/cylinder we just mentioned.
We use the Eco-Trap cylinder. It is filled with a thin layer of liquid sealant called BlueSeal, which must be refilled as necessary and, in most cases, is a quick and easy procedure.
As the urine passes through the trap/cylinder and sealant, the urine overflows into a conventional drainpipe, much like a traditional urinal works.
We have been in business since 1991. That tells you a lot about our products and our company. The urinals work and work well. Further quality customer service is always our goal. We keep our customers happy with our products and quality service.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program has gotten much more focused on reducing water consumption than ever before. Facilities that install waterless urinals often find the water saving is so significant that this is all they need to earn water-related points and pass this criterion of the LEED program.
It is hard to believe today, but at one time, toilets installed in schools and colleges in the U.S. used as much as eight gallons of water per flush (gpf). Today, they use 1.6 gallons of water per flush (gpf).
Similarly, pre-1992, conventional urinals used three to four gpf. Now, they use about one, but we consider that one too many.
The trend I see in the future is the increasing need to reduce water consumption around the world and to use water more efficiently. With each passing year, we see this as a growing concern.
Fortunately, waterless urinals are helping stem water consumption today, not only in North America but around the world.
Klaus Reichardt, CEO & Founder at Waterless Co Inc. He is widely known as a thought leader and influencer when it comes to water related issues. Waterless company helps facilities use water more efficiently, reduce water consumption, and lower operating costs.
As the holiday season and wintry weather approach, some facilities, such as schools, will shut down for a couple of weeks, if not months.
This means managers must take steps now to winterize plumbing in these buildings before they close.
Winterizing helps prevent leaks and breaks in the plumbing system. When water freezes inside the pipes, it expands and creates pressure that can damage pipes and plumbing fixtures.
Winterizing also prevents sewer odors and gases from escaping into the building. This happens when the P-trap underneath drains dries out, allowing hydrogen sulfide and methane gas to enter the facility.
These gases can cause serious health hazards.
To avoid these problems, Klaus Reichardt, founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc, marketers of no-water urinals and other restroom products, suggests the following Seven Proven Pipe Winterizing Steps to do now:
1. Shut off the water supply. If permitted, this is the main water valve to the facility. If a pipe bursts, it could cause thousands of dollars in damage.
2. Open all faucets and drains. This will allow water to drain out of the pipes.
3. Drain the water heater. Turn off the electrical or gas service to the water heater, and then open the drain valve to drain the water heater.
4. Add antifreeze to toilets. With the main water valve closed, flush toilets and pour antifreeze in the bowls. This prevents standing water from freezing.
5. Insulate exposed pipes. This will keep water in outdoor or exposed pipes from freezing. Use pipe insulation sleeves, wrapping, or foam pipe insulation.
6. Pour a liquid ever prime into drains. This will keep the P-traps from drying out and releasing unpleasant odors and unhealthy gasses. A few ounces per drain is all that is needed.
7. Maintain a heating source in the facility. Setting the thermostat at 40 to 50 degrees (F) helps protect pipes from the cold.
“As the days grow colder, the last thing a manager wants to find when returning to a facility is burst or frozen pipes,” adds Reichardt. “These steps will help prevent this.”
About Waterless
Waterless Co., Inc., Introduced waterless urinals to North America in 1991. Based in Vista, Ca, the company has become a leader in water efficiency. The company offers a full line of Waterless No-Flush urinals, cleaning solutions, and other cost saving accessories. Visit: www.waterless.com
Waterless Co. Inc.
1050 Joshua Way
Vista, CA 92081 USA
800.244.6364
Media Contact: Robert Kravitz
Phone: 312-880-8176
E-Mail: robert@alturasolutions.com
Hello Klaus,
Have there been any advances in the waterless urinal world? Although we all know they save water, many building owners and managers still believe they have odor issues. Is this true?
Hello, and thank you for your interest in Waterless Urinals. I am happy you contacted me.
First, I must agree with you, waterless urinals are a terrific way to save water, promote sustainability, and reduce environmental impacts. They also have other benefits for building owners and managers, such as lowering maintenance costs, fewer plumbing problems, and improved hygiene.
However, some people may have misconceptions about waterless urinals and odor. This is understandable, as waterless urinals were not always as advanced and reliable as they are today.
Before going further, let me introduce myself. I am proudly viewed as a waterless urinal expert with over 30 years of experience in the industry. I have been involved in the development, marketing, and installation of waterless urinals and related technologies in North America and around the world since 1991.
Now to your question. The main causes of no-water urinal odor issues in the past were the following three issues:
1. Many manufacturers of non-water urinals were requiring - and still require - the use of costly cartridges, which are placed at the bottom of the urinal. However, the sealing liquid used for these cartridges did not last long.
So, you understand, the cartridge and the sealing liquid are designed to prevent sewer odors from entering the restroom. Today, most manufacturers use cartridges and sealing liquids that perform more effectively and last longer. In fact, many recommend our BlueSeal sealing liquid. It lasts longer, is refillable, easy to use, and is less expensive than most other sealing liquids.
2. The second issue comes down to cleaning. When no-water urinals were first being adopted, cleaning professionals were unsure how to clean them. Often, they used substantial amounts of water, which was unnecessary, could damage the cartridge, and reduced the amount of sealing liquid in the cartridge. Errors such as this have been eliminated.
Cleaning professionals are now familiar with waterless urinals and know how to clean them. Typically, all that is required is a sanitizer or disinfectant sprayed on the surfaces of the urinal and then wiped down. There rarely is deposit build-up of any kind on these urinals so no scrubbing is necessary.
3. Finally, many cleaning professionals did not know how often to replenish the sealing liquid. It’s quite simple. But once again, cleaning workers were not taught how to do this, which often resulted in odors.
I hope this answers your question and clears up any doubts you may have about waterless urinals. If you have any further questions or would like to learn more about our products and services, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Klaus Reichardt
