SOIL's EkoMobil Service Sees an Increase in Rental Requests
SOIL’s EkoMobil toilets at this years Diner en Blanc event in Cap-Haitien
EkoMobil, SOIL’s high-quality, and ecologically beneficial portable toilet rental service, has been seeing some exciting growth over this year! Our mobile toilets, similar to our household toilets, are a Container Based Sanitation (CBS) solution and available for rentals at both public and private events, including festivals,, construction sites, school events and more in Cap-Haitien.
In the past year we have notably seen the requests for EkoMobil toilet rentals more than double – which is great news for a variety of reasons. Beyond the practical benefits of the service – no running water is required, waste is safely contained and managed, and the end product from all of these events is rich, organic compost – SOIL’s EkoMobil toilets are much better for the environment than traditional port-a-potties which use harsh chemicals, and (at least in Haiti) aren’t always emptied into safe waste treatment facilities. Moreover, SOIL’s EkoMobil toilets are less expensive to rent than the traditional port-a-potties on the market in northern Haiti. And, according to many users, “They just smell better.”
Many of our EkoMobil toilets are refurbished traditional plastic port-a-potties. SOIL removes the old bench and holding tank from inside and replaces it with a SOIL toilet and waste container that can be removed and exchanged when needed. We also have wooden units, fitted with metal roofs that are especially convenient because they can be easily taken apart for transport and are simple to repair.
The EkoMobil rental service includes toilet delivery and pick up, container collection during the event and they come fully equipped with hand-washing stations. SOIL also provides toilet managers, SOIL staff members who remain onsite during events to ensure that users are comfortable and that the toilets are well maintained. Over the past several years, SOIL’s EkoMobil toilets have been rented for use at a variety of events including Kanaval, Boulva Naval, the Flag Day parade, PapJazz, Dîner en Blan, May Day, Fête OKap and many others.
The profits that SOIL generates from mobile toilet rentals provide a valuable revenue stream that supports our public toilets as well as other SOIL projects so we are thrilled that the demand for EkoMobil is growing! The increase in rental contracts – a three-fold increase from the previous year – furthers our resolve to keep scaling up our mobile services, allowing us to increase our education and outreach efforts and, in doing so, raising awareness about EcoSan and supporting increased access to safe sanitation in Haiti.