Toilets that Indicate

15 April 2021

Portable toilets might not initially seem like the most exciting products but specialist hirer Site Equip has shown that they can be no less innovative.

Director Amy Gilbert tells me that the Hampshire-based business has developed an app that monitors the status of the three and six-bay Vacuum Pod toilets that the company manufacturers. Impressively, they’ve also created the software entirely themselves.

Called Indicate and the result of 18 months’ development, it displays data from sensors on the doors, holding tanks and other components.

“Indicate offers a full overview of toilet sanitisation for larger scale events. It allows for queue optimisation, tank monitoring, fast response times and safeguarding attendees,” says Amy.

The app can improve efficiency by alerting cleaning staff after a pre-determined number of uses. Service visits can also be triggered and post-event reports generated.

Indicate, which is already in successful operation, also times how long a cubicle has been in use. This could help to detect people who might have been taken ill, or criminals who might be dealing drugs or indulging in other illegal activities, which event organisers need to tackle.

Adam Gilbert, Amy’s brother and fellow Site Equip director, says that “bright red and green lights clearly show which cubicles are in use from afar, which reduces queuing and ensures toilets are used to their capacity.”

The Vacuum Pods also use less water than conventional freshwater flush units.

• Check out the earlier Q&A interview on the site with Amy here, and you can also read a recent blog post reporting on how busy Site Equip currently is.