What to consider when running a public event

You’ve got an event coming up and have a to-do list as long as your arm, and you’ve still to sort your portable toilet hire. We’ve tried to make things easier for you by listing the things you need to know to ensure your sanitation needs are taken care of.

You’ll need a flat space

Portable toilets need to be placed on flat, firm ground to ensure they can be used appropriately. A hill, dipped group (prone to flooding and mud) just isn’t going to work!

Do you need portable toilet dimensions to plan out your space? You can find out specification sheets on our download page.

Space for delivery and collection

Is there space for the portable toilet delivery driver to park close to the toilet area you have allotted? The toilets will need to be manoeuvred into place, so the closer they can get the better. The same applies to collection too.

Accessibility for all

Guests should be able to access the toilets easily from your location. Consideration your disabled and less-mobile guests or those needing baby change facilities too. Toilets near entrances and exits are popular, allowing guests to make themselves comfortable on arrival or for the journey home.

Keep access clear

It’s important to keep a space clear for service vehicle access. – If you’re event is a 2 or more-day event, or has a heavy footfall, you may need to consider having a service for your toilets. This stops your waste tank from overflowing and means your toilets will be cleaned thoroughly and replenished with consumables.

Food and drink V toilets

Are you supplying food? Think about where your food or bar is being served as you may want to keep diners away from the toilet facilities.

Queue busting – how many toilets do I need?

This is one of the most frequent questions we get asked. When planning an outside event, we have some rule of thumb guidelines for you. If your event is longer than 6 hours and food and drink are being served, we recommend: 1 toilet per 50 guests up to a maximum of 8 hours

Still not sure how many to get?- use our toilet calculator, or give us a call and we’ll talk you through it.

What about urinals?

Hiring urinals can free up cubicles for female guests. Our 4 bay urinal has privacy fins and can also be fitted with a pee-pod pole with anti bac dispensers attached as a handy added extra.

4 bay urinals  also have a large reservoir tank to hold waste and can be emptied / serviced alongside your toilet cubicles if you have opted for this. They are best placed in a corner or screened off for privacy.

Toilets blocks with urinals - You may have come across the abbreviation of a 3+1 or 2+1 but what does it mean? It means a toilet block has three toilets plus one urinal (if it is a 3+1).

Ladies Urinals

Designed for women, so that ladies who want a quick pee can do so without having to queue up for the normal toilets. Talk to us for more details.

Good hand washing facilities

Depending on the type of event you are having and your budget, the anti bac dispenser in your event portable toilet, may be enough for your needs. However if you’re having messy activities, you could consider adding in portable sinks which have their own water reservoir, but which can be topped up when needed.

Dark nights?

If your activity will be taking place during the evening or night, do you need additional lighting? Our toilets have opaque roofs to allow in day light but you can add on motion sensor lights to your hire. That should reduce the number of drunken accidents and any misses when trying to find the toilet seat!

Hire Costs

Most portable toilet hire companies will have a minimum hire period, which is normally two weeks. That doesn't mean the toilet needs to hang around for the full two weeks, it can be collected within this period, but you will still be charged the full amount of the hire.

You will find many companies just charge an event rate which will normally be the equivalent to a two week hire charge.

We charge our delivery and collection costs by zone – which you can see on our map. We additionally have quote forms on each of our product and service pages where, with a few details from you, we can send you an automated quote. The quote includes product hire, delivery, and collection charges. Let us have the details, and we’ll to the rest.

What Else Should I Consider

Remember that alcohol and food both have a significant impact on how many toilets are needed. As a rule of thumb, add-on between 15– 25% more toilets according to how thirsty you expect your guests to be. For example, if you’re hosting a music event in the middle of Summer, guests are likely to consume higher quantities of alcohol.

Make sure there is someone on hand who will keep an eye out on your toilet roll numbers and bins.  There’s nothing worse than running out of toilet roll or seeing an overflowing bin!

Got any other queries? Contact us or check out our related links below.

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