Serving the American Liquid Waste Industry Since 2002
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Eye
sore
Chelsea Mc Cafferty looks at the common myth that
portable restrooms are an "eyesore" and seen as
"unsightly".
portable restrooms are an "eyesore" and seen as
"unsightly".
Consider for a moment the construction worker laboring in the midst of a hot summer day. He must keep himself
hydrated by drinking large amounts of water throughout the day, which inevitably leads to a very real need for
urinary relief. Think of that big, downtown event, where the streets are packed with people and booths selling
delicious snow cones and soft drinks. When nature calls, aren’t you glad when there are toilets available so you
don’t have to leave the party early to “take care of business?”
Portable toilets are meant to be a convenience for people, whether at work or at play. Despite the odd joke here or
there, no one for a moment considers it a primary function of portable toilets to be adding to the décor or natural
beauty of their placements. Customers do not rent portable units to enhance the beauty of a golf course, town
event or even a construction site. Yet, it seems that these modern-day conveniences are constantly being labeled
with words like “eyesore” and “unsightly” in today’s media and among certain social crowds.
We see it in the headlines often: disputes over the location of portable toilets because of their appearance.
Neighborhood and town councils have become notorious for reporting and lobbying against what they consider to
be unsightly units placed in plain view of the public. They often complain about portable restrooms being left for
long periods of time at construction sites. With the housing market down, many construction projects have been
placed on temporary holds or waiting periods. Some local governing bodies have created rules requiring portable
toilets to be removed from construction sites within days of construction being completed or suspended.
Town committees have been known to go to the length of having petitions signed and protests organized to have
portable loos removed from golf courses and parks neighbored by residential areas. Speaking to a random
assortment of people, I asked if they would consider portable toilets to be an eyesore, and whether they would
choose beauty or convenience if given the choice.
Heather Shaver of Washington admitted that she does see portable toilets as an eyesore in public locations but
added that they are, “usually next to equally unattractive building sites.”
Joyce Eshelman of California disagreed, stating that portable toilets are only eyesores when they are, “damaged, in
need of repair and cleaning, or out of date. For the convenience of patrons, shoppers, and the public, it is
advantageous to have public toilets available for use.”
“It depends,” shared Perry Mills of California. “If the doors are closed, it's not so bad. They should be neatly
arranged in even rows. Matching colors are also preferable.”
Soon-to-be mommy Sarah Williams of California seemed uninterested in the color of the unit and shouted
confidently, “Convenience! Being nine months pregnant, you really couldn't care less what a bathroom looks like,
it's a matter of it being available to use! Sometimes, they're a Godsend.”
Portable toilet operators have consistently been targeted for complaints. Jay Fauble of AAA Quality Services based
out of Farmersville, California experienced this issue first-hand when a neighbor (from across a double-laned
highway) complained that Fauble had an “unsightly” portable toilet on display at the business site. Considering the
fact that the neighbor was quite a distance away, separated by a large and busy highway as well as rows of trees,
which Fauble himself had planted, the complaint seemed almost humorous. The mindset behind the complaint is
where the problem lies.
Often times the aversion to having portable toilets in public view can bring harm to communities. Many small-town
businesses and communities depend upon annual town events to boost the economy. Turn-outs will surely
decrease if few to no toilets are made available to the public, and often these small towns do not have much in the
way of permanent public toilets.
There is currently a battle going on in Rockford, Michigan where a man named Michael Brady has been forced by
the town council to remove a portable toilet from his backyard due to the complaint of neighbor Carolyn Ward.
Brady has had the unit in his yard near his swimming pool for several years, as he has made guests over to use the
pool throughout the summer months and this saves them from trudging through the house to use in the indoor
toilet. Brady claims to have the unit serviced weekly and keeps it as clean as his home restroom. However, city
officials have forced him to remove the unit based on this complaint. He has complied, but will be fighting the
decision.
So how can this problem be resolved? The design of portable toilets has changed and evolved over the years, and
yet none of these standard units seem to stand up against the criticism of the public’s eye. Must portable toilets be
hidden away, removed or masked to accommodate those who prefer not to see them? Perhaps it is not the units
themselves that must be changed, but rather society’s mindset that portable toilets are unattractive or an “eyesore”
for the public.
Let us look at the definition of the word so often used in connection with the standard units. An “eyesore” is:
“something, such as a distressed building, that is unpleasant or offensive to view, something very ugly, or qualities
of appearance that do not give pleasure to the senses.” Portable toilets may not be beautiful structures, but they are
certainly not “offensive” and, as for giving pleasure to the senses, they be extremely pleasing conveniences when
the need for relief arises.
If a clean, well-maintained portable toilet is an eyesore on a golf course, then how would you describe the situation
in Kathmandu, where police report that over 50% of pedestrians defecate right in the street due to lack of
awareness of public toilets and an aversion to spending what little money they have on public toilet usage fees?
What about in Asturias, west of Cebu City, where most households lack a toilet causing people to urinate and
defecate in their own backyards or in open fields, leading to ground water contamination and the spread of
illnesses such as typhoid fever? Would these people view portable toilets as an “eyesore” or as means of
deliverance?
A majority of people seem to agree that, although portable toilets aren’t the ideal addition to a scenic view, the
convenience they allow overshadows the need for aesthetic beauty. Shaver suggested portable toilets might be
made more attractive by adding artwork to the exterior. Jay Fauble has several smaller, brightly-painted units for
children’s events that have become a big hit, but it didn’t stop his neighbor from issuing her complaint when the
units were on display.
Shifting the paradigm of society can be a difficult task, and for some people portable restrooms will always be
considered an eyesore. Communication, education and quality products are what is needed to convince society that
portable toilets are there for their own comfort and advantage. In fact, the British often use the word
“convenience” as a euphemism for a public toilet. When considering the condition of many parts of the world
where sanitary public toilets are unheard of, it becomes clear that portable toilets are not “eyesores” but privileges
that many around the world would be grateful to possess.
hydrated by drinking large amounts of water throughout the day, which inevitably leads to a very real need for
urinary relief. Think of that big, downtown event, where the streets are packed with people and booths selling
delicious snow cones and soft drinks. When nature calls, aren’t you glad when there are toilets available so you
don’t have to leave the party early to “take care of business?”
Portable toilets are meant to be a convenience for people, whether at work or at play. Despite the odd joke here or
there, no one for a moment considers it a primary function of portable toilets to be adding to the décor or natural
beauty of their placements. Customers do not rent portable units to enhance the beauty of a golf course, town
event or even a construction site. Yet, it seems that these modern-day conveniences are constantly being labeled
with words like “eyesore” and “unsightly” in today’s media and among certain social crowds.
We see it in the headlines often: disputes over the location of portable toilets because of their appearance.
Neighborhood and town councils have become notorious for reporting and lobbying against what they consider to
be unsightly units placed in plain view of the public. They often complain about portable restrooms being left for
long periods of time at construction sites. With the housing market down, many construction projects have been
placed on temporary holds or waiting periods. Some local governing bodies have created rules requiring portable
toilets to be removed from construction sites within days of construction being completed or suspended.
Town committees have been known to go to the length of having petitions signed and protests organized to have
portable loos removed from golf courses and parks neighbored by residential areas. Speaking to a random
assortment of people, I asked if they would consider portable toilets to be an eyesore, and whether they would
choose beauty or convenience if given the choice.
Heather Shaver of Washington admitted that she does see portable toilets as an eyesore in public locations but
added that they are, “usually next to equally unattractive building sites.”
Joyce Eshelman of California disagreed, stating that portable toilets are only eyesores when they are, “damaged, in
need of repair and cleaning, or out of date. For the convenience of patrons, shoppers, and the public, it is
advantageous to have public toilets available for use.”
“It depends,” shared Perry Mills of California. “If the doors are closed, it's not so bad. They should be neatly
arranged in even rows. Matching colors are also preferable.”
Soon-to-be mommy Sarah Williams of California seemed uninterested in the color of the unit and shouted
confidently, “Convenience! Being nine months pregnant, you really couldn't care less what a bathroom looks like,
it's a matter of it being available to use! Sometimes, they're a Godsend.”
Portable toilet operators have consistently been targeted for complaints. Jay Fauble of AAA Quality Services based
out of Farmersville, California experienced this issue first-hand when a neighbor (from across a double-laned
highway) complained that Fauble had an “unsightly” portable toilet on display at the business site. Considering the
fact that the neighbor was quite a distance away, separated by a large and busy highway as well as rows of trees,
which Fauble himself had planted, the complaint seemed almost humorous. The mindset behind the complaint is
where the problem lies.
Often times the aversion to having portable toilets in public view can bring harm to communities. Many small-town
businesses and communities depend upon annual town events to boost the economy. Turn-outs will surely
decrease if few to no toilets are made available to the public, and often these small towns do not have much in the
way of permanent public toilets.
There is currently a battle going on in Rockford, Michigan where a man named Michael Brady has been forced by
the town council to remove a portable toilet from his backyard due to the complaint of neighbor Carolyn Ward.
Brady has had the unit in his yard near his swimming pool for several years, as he has made guests over to use the
pool throughout the summer months and this saves them from trudging through the house to use in the indoor
toilet. Brady claims to have the unit serviced weekly and keeps it as clean as his home restroom. However, city
officials have forced him to remove the unit based on this complaint. He has complied, but will be fighting the
decision.
So how can this problem be resolved? The design of portable toilets has changed and evolved over the years, and
yet none of these standard units seem to stand up against the criticism of the public’s eye. Must portable toilets be
hidden away, removed or masked to accommodate those who prefer not to see them? Perhaps it is not the units
themselves that must be changed, but rather society’s mindset that portable toilets are unattractive or an “eyesore”
for the public.
Let us look at the definition of the word so often used in connection with the standard units. An “eyesore” is:
“something, such as a distressed building, that is unpleasant or offensive to view, something very ugly, or qualities
of appearance that do not give pleasure to the senses.” Portable toilets may not be beautiful structures, but they are
certainly not “offensive” and, as for giving pleasure to the senses, they be extremely pleasing conveniences when
the need for relief arises.
If a clean, well-maintained portable toilet is an eyesore on a golf course, then how would you describe the situation
in Kathmandu, where police report that over 50% of pedestrians defecate right in the street due to lack of
awareness of public toilets and an aversion to spending what little money they have on public toilet usage fees?
What about in Asturias, west of Cebu City, where most households lack a toilet causing people to urinate and
defecate in their own backyards or in open fields, leading to ground water contamination and the spread of
illnesses such as typhoid fever? Would these people view portable toilets as an “eyesore” or as means of
deliverance?
A majority of people seem to agree that, although portable toilets aren’t the ideal addition to a scenic view, the
convenience they allow overshadows the need for aesthetic beauty. Shaver suggested portable toilets might be
made more attractive by adding artwork to the exterior. Jay Fauble has several smaller, brightly-painted units for
children’s events that have become a big hit, but it didn’t stop his neighbor from issuing her complaint when the
units were on display.
Shifting the paradigm of society can be a difficult task, and for some people portable restrooms will always be
considered an eyesore. Communication, education and quality products are what is needed to convince society that
portable toilets are there for their own comfort and advantage. In fact, the British often use the word
“convenience” as a euphemism for a public toilet. When considering the condition of many parts of the world
where sanitary public toilets are unheard of, it becomes clear that portable toilets are not “eyesores” but privileges
that many around the world would be grateful to possess.
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