GreenYour.com

Call these urinals what you want—waterless, water-free, flushless, zero-water, no-flush—these typically male toilets are water savers no matter how you put it, cutting water use to absolutely nothing.

Find it! Waterless urinals

There are many models and styles to choose from when it comes to flushless urinals, and no matter which device you settle on, not only will you save a few flushes, you could also qualify for LEED credits.

Waterless urinals help you go green because…

• They save enormous quantities of water.

A typical urinal uses about 3 gallons of water per flush (gpf) where newer models use about 1 gpf or less. Waterless urinals, on the other hand, use no water at all. These non-flushers have chemical traps that allow liquid waste to flow down a pipe without allowing sewer gases to escape. They do require daily cleaning (to minimize odor) with a mild acidic cleaner.[1]

A study on the cost benefit of using flushless urinals at the Kaiser Permanente French Campus Facility in San Francisco (conducted by Triple Pundit) concluded that replacing conventional urinals with waterless ones would lead to savings of $800 (worse case) to $40,000 (best case) per device.[2]

A few years back, Pasadena, California's Rose Bowl installed over 250 waterless urinals, saving an estimated 130,000 gallons of water every game day.[3] Other important water-free installations include those at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort, Heathrow Airport, and Olympic Village in Sydney, Australia.[4]

Rebates and incentives

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency lists loads of country-wide incentives for green improvements, including a few for flushless urinals. Choose “Search by” “Incentive Type” to find “Green Building Incentives” in your area.

Controversies

The California Pipe Trades Council (representing thousands of plumbers and pipe-fitters) has written to dozens of lawmakers in California asking them to “proceed with caution” when considering water-free urinal installations. Their claim: waterless urinals are a health threat since they may expose users to sewer gases, bacteria, and viruses.[5] But proponents of flushless urinals maintain that such opposition is more about money than public health. They note that flushless urinals require much less maintenance, which may put some plumbers out of jobs.[6]

External links

• Toiletology 101 Everything you need to know about toilet repairs, free and online.
• Tuvie.com - Waterless Urinal from Kohler Avoid Splashing
• WaterSense - Efficiency Made Easy: Final Specifications for High-Efficiency Toilets EPA's standards for water-efficient toilets.