When you think of Portable Sanitation Association
International (PSAI), you think of Bill Carroll, its executive
director, and his wife Millicent. They are the foundation for
an organization that’s galvanized the portable sanitation
industry since 1971.
Carroll, a 25-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran, put his
leadership skills to use when he assumed PSAI leadership in
1990. He’s ushered it from 320 companies in 12 countries
to about 750 companies in 43 countries worldwide.
Q: What are the major challenges for the portable
sanitation industry? How are those in the industry
meeting them?
A: There are three major challenges. First: regulatory
enforcement of all of our market segments: construction,
special events, parks and recreation, etc. Second:
wastewater disposal. There are 15,000 wastewater
treatment disposal facilities on the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) database.
Communities need to do a better job of long-range planning
and expand their wastewater treatment facilities to meet
future needs. Many times, they build a smaller plant instead
of examining their growth to do a better forecast. The next
thing you know, the plant meets its utilization and they are
stuck with over-usage again. The other issue we always
deal with is educating, training and maintaining good
employees, providing them fair wages and incentives.
Q: Is the industry consolidating in the manner of the
solid waste industry?
A: There has been some consolidation in portable restroom
and sanitation industry. United Site Services has acquisitions
representing about 70 companies. The portable sanitation
industry has between 3,000 and 3,500 companies. You be
the judge.
Q: The portable sanitation industry is a $l.5 billion a
year business with more than 1.4 million portable
restrooms in use, serviced by 9,400 trucks. Has the
industry met its growth ceiling or are there still
markets yet to be tapped?
A: There is growth potential in all market segments. With
the continued efforts of the PSAI and our members to
promote better enforcement, an increased demand for
portable sanitation facilities and equipment on construction
sites and special events will be realized by portable restroom
rental companies as well as industry suppliers. All we are
doing is meeting the community’s existing regulations – it’s
not something PSAI is dreaming up to rent more toilets.
International (PSAI), you think of Bill Carroll, its executive
director, and his wife Millicent. They are the foundation for
an organization that’s galvanized the portable sanitation
industry since 1971.
Carroll, a 25-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran, put his
leadership skills to use when he assumed PSAI leadership in
1990. He’s ushered it from 320 companies in 12 countries
to about 750 companies in 43 countries worldwide.
Q: What are the major challenges for the portable
sanitation industry? How are those in the industry
meeting them?
A: There are three major challenges. First: regulatory
enforcement of all of our market segments: construction,
special events, parks and recreation, etc. Second:
wastewater disposal. There are 15,000 wastewater
treatment disposal facilities on the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) database.
Communities need to do a better job of long-range planning
and expand their wastewater treatment facilities to meet
future needs. Many times, they build a smaller plant instead
of examining their growth to do a better forecast. The next
thing you know, the plant meets its utilization and they are
stuck with over-usage again. The other issue we always
deal with is educating, training and maintaining good
employees, providing them fair wages and incentives.
Q: Is the industry consolidating in the manner of the
solid waste industry?
A: There has been some consolidation in portable restroom
and sanitation industry. United Site Services has acquisitions
representing about 70 companies. The portable sanitation
industry has between 3,000 and 3,500 companies. You be
the judge.
Q: The portable sanitation industry is a $l.5 billion a
year business with more than 1.4 million portable
restrooms in use, serviced by 9,400 trucks. Has the
industry met its growth ceiling or are there still
markets yet to be tapped?
A: There is growth potential in all market segments. With
the continued efforts of the PSAI and our members to
promote better enforcement, an increased demand for
portable sanitation facilities and equipment on construction
sites and special events will be realized by portable restroom
rental companies as well as industry suppliers. All we are
doing is meeting the community’s existing regulations – it’s
not something PSAI is dreaming up to rent more toilets.
Coffee Break
with Carol: Bill
Carroll
with Carol: Bill
Carroll
By: Carol Brzozowski
Q: How is the industry addressing the need for
qualified workers?
A: That’s not unique to our industry. There is a lot of
turnover in our service drivers. The industry needs to pay a
fair wage and supply benefits and incentives to workers.
We must charge appropriate rental rates for services to get
a good return to provide those benefits.
Q: What are the major disposal challenges? How are
they being addressed?
A: Communities need to expand their facilities. We must
educate the industry and wastewater personnel. I dealt with
a wastewater treatment plant in California trying to make
portable restroom companies get pollution insurance. But
we are not industrial waste; we are domestic septage as
classified by the EPA. This county allowed land application
of toilet waste. The wastewater treatment plant manager
had no idea. A lot of times, the plant is dealing with what
comes in and how it’s regulated. The pollution insurance is
not required. It’s expensive and if someone wants to get it
on their own, they can.
Q: One of the topics at PSAI’s “Nuts and Bolts
Workshop” addressed working with local code
enforcement officials. How is this good for business?
A: PSAI educates our market segments; we are going to
exhibit in three locations this year with such groups as The
National Environmental Health Association, whose health
officials regulate special events and associations of counties
and city/county managers – there are inspectors there, too.
We’re also sending out a mailing to 10,000 building officials
and 4,000 health officials to educate them on the need to
enforce existing regulations. At these shows, I give out a
plastic restroom with our logo, toll-free number and website
on it. Seventy-five percent of what people learn comes
through their eyeballs. If I can get one of these in every
mayor’s and county commissioner’s office, I’ve done my
job because every time they look at the little restroom, they
are going to think about how they didn’t see a portable
restroom at that construction job.
Many times, they will say it’s the responsibility of OSHA
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration). OSHA is
not proactive, but reactive to complaints that come from the
job site. In 2006, OHSA issued only 86 citations in the
country. That’s why we have taken our battle to the
building inspector. They’re on the job site. We’re an
international association, so we talk to members in other
countries like England where they’ve got one regulation for
the whole country. England is the size of Oregon. I’ve got
national, state, county, and municipal regulations coming
out of my ears. There is better enforcement internationally
than there is in the United States.
Q: How do you think the general public
perceives the industry?
A: We’re always fighting an image problem; that’s
understandable. We have an image and education
committee that continues to evaluate ways to
improve our industry. However, we are sometimes
our own worst enemies by naming companies with
names that reflect negatively on our industry. PSAI
is not the toilet police; however, when we do see
names or situations that reflect negatively on our
industry, we do try to encourage that particular
company or person to improve their image. We don’
t need this in an industry when we fight so hard to
provide clean portable restrooms. As we progress, it
‘s an evolution: Service, equipment and trucks are
getting better. We’ve received a better perception
from the public in our market segments. Often, the
negative image goes back to the enforcement end.
They don’t provide the proper number of portable
restrooms on the job site. The unit gets overused.
The people blame the ‘nasty portable toilet’ and
‘those portable toilet people’. If they had the proper
number of units, it wouldn’t be an issue. The same
for special events - portable restrooms is last on
event planners’ list. They don‘t want to pay
anything for them. You educate them that the more
time people spend in that restroom line, that’s less
time they are there spending money. It’s incumbent
upon you to make sure you have the proper number
to keep the lines down as well as having odor
control and all the other variables we educate
customers on.
perceives the industry?
A: We’re always fighting an image problem; that’s
understandable. We have an image and education
committee that continues to evaluate ways to
improve our industry. However, we are sometimes
our own worst enemies by naming companies with
names that reflect negatively on our industry. PSAI
is not the toilet police; however, when we do see
names or situations that reflect negatively on our
industry, we do try to encourage that particular
company or person to improve their image. We don’
t need this in an industry when we fight so hard to
provide clean portable restrooms. As we progress, it
‘s an evolution: Service, equipment and trucks are
getting better. We’ve received a better perception
from the public in our market segments. Often, the
negative image goes back to the enforcement end.
They don’t provide the proper number of portable
restrooms on the job site. The unit gets overused.
The people blame the ‘nasty portable toilet’ and
‘those portable toilet people’. If they had the proper
number of units, it wouldn’t be an issue. The same
for special events - portable restrooms is last on
event planners’ list. They don‘t want to pay
anything for them. You educate them that the more
time people spend in that restroom line, that’s less
time they are there spending money. It’s incumbent
upon you to make sure you have the proper number
to keep the lines down as well as having odor
control and all the other variables we educate
customers on.
| Bill Carroll - PSAI |
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Q: A major challenge in this industry is dealing
with the rising cost of fuel, labor and insurance.
What are some examples of how that’s best
being handled?
A: As with most industries that provide a service,
the bottom line is you need to pass that cost on to
your end user and analyze your own company to
optimize efficiency. There may be a way to modify
your route and save fuel. If someone needs two
toilets and they’re 30 miles down the road, tell them
you’ll drop them off when you come by that way.
There are people who will run that distance to put
two toilets out. When they analyze their costs, they’
re almost paying to put the toilets out there. Don’t
give away your service. If you are not going to
make your profit margin, why are you in business?
If you are going to provide incentives and
insurance, you’d better charge a proper rate. If you
do, the market will establish that rate. It will be
more fair and competitive, instead of everybody
cutting each other’s throats.
Q: What advice would you give to a newcomer
in this industry?
A: Become a member of PSAI. You’ll learn from
those with many years of experience. We have
information on getting into the business. Attend
workshops, roundtable discussions, educate
yourself on doing business in our industry. This is a
big one: make sure you’re charging sales and use
tax. Check into all of the requirements of operating
a portable restroom company in your area. Not only
will you need a general business license, but you
may also be required to obtain a wastewater hauler’
s permit. The association is increasingly getting
recognition from government entities. We came out
smelling like a rose in Hurricane Katrina when we
brought in equipment. FEMA and the International
Red Cross call us for emergency response. We get
10 to 15 calls a day from people looking for
portable restrooms. We let them know the members
in that area and they do the rest. We have a great
networking program. We have a certification
program for members and non-members.
with the rising cost of fuel, labor and insurance.
What are some examples of how that’s best
being handled?
A: As with most industries that provide a service,
the bottom line is you need to pass that cost on to
your end user and analyze your own company to
optimize efficiency. There may be a way to modify
your route and save fuel. If someone needs two
toilets and they’re 30 miles down the road, tell them
you’ll drop them off when you come by that way.
There are people who will run that distance to put
two toilets out. When they analyze their costs, they’
re almost paying to put the toilets out there. Don’t
give away your service. If you are not going to
make your profit margin, why are you in business?
If you are going to provide incentives and
insurance, you’d better charge a proper rate. If you
do, the market will establish that rate. It will be
more fair and competitive, instead of everybody
cutting each other’s throats.
Q: What advice would you give to a newcomer
in this industry?
A: Become a member of PSAI. You’ll learn from
those with many years of experience. We have
information on getting into the business. Attend
workshops, roundtable discussions, educate
yourself on doing business in our industry. This is a
big one: make sure you’re charging sales and use
tax. Check into all of the requirements of operating
a portable restroom company in your area. Not only
will you need a general business license, but you
may also be required to obtain a wastewater hauler’
s permit. The association is increasingly getting
recognition from government entities. We came out
smelling like a rose in Hurricane Katrina when we
brought in equipment. FEMA and the International
Red Cross call us for emergency response. We get
10 to 15 calls a day from people looking for
portable restrooms. We let them know the members
in that area and they do the rest. We have a great
networking program. We have a certification
program for members and non-members.
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April 2007
Serving the American Liquid Waste Industry Since 2002