Products and Deodorizers are Going Green
In the old days choices were limited. Nowadays, there exists a plethora of choices when deciding which odor control products to use for septic tank, grease trap servicing, or the portable toilet business. This month we talked with a few contractors to see which products they use, and how they use them.
“When we started GTO we wanted to be different” says Mike Lozano, senior manager at Grease Traps Only, out of Philadelphia, Pa, Mike explains, “We wanted the experience to be as easy as possible on the customer because, let’s face it, having your grease trap cleaned is not usually fun.” Now when servicing grease traps, which creates foul odors, it is crucial to keep the smell down because, for one thing, 90 percent of grease traps are located in commercial kitchens, and kitchens are connected to eating establishments. There is nothing worse than eating your meal and then getting a whiff of something foul in the air, coming from the kitchen of all places.
Lozano says that “when internal grease traps are serviced, one of the biggest complaints has always been the odor. To make this easier on the customer we decided to spray a deodorizer before, during and after the trap is being serviced. The product we use is highly concentrated so we just put a few ounces in a spray bottle and fill the rest up with water. We spray it liberally, and all of our customers are mostly very pleased with the aroma.” “Many have liked it so much that they actually asked us if they could buy it from us. Also, in servicing the trap, in order to do a thorough job, we will also use a sanitizer degreaser to help break down anything in the trap, and then we will suck it up into our truck. Making sure we do a thorough job.” “There are the internal traps, and then there are the external grease traps.” Mike tells us that, “another thing we do while were servicing outside traps is we will use porto paks. They are small fragrance packs that are generally used for porta johns, but we use them in outside grease traps again to keep the smell at bay, and it seems to help do just that.”
“We having been using all natural, eco-friendly products in our septic tank and portable toilet business since the beginning” says Kristeen Neher, co-owner with her husband Russ of Russ’s Septic Service from New Hartford, CT. “We use an all-natural type convenient eco-pack for our portable toilet tanks. The packs are so convenient, and easy to use. You just drop the packet into the holding tanks and it does all of the rest.” “We like the fact that the these pack-pods are fully bio-degradable, using natural enzymes that act as both wonderful tank deodorizers as well as very effective waste digesters all in one” Kristeen said.
We don’t even like to use the word “chemical” in our business, it seems to us a dirty word. The reason being, we do not recommend any products that claim to help maintain the present system. Our thought process has always been that Mother Nature made the process slow for a reason and when using harsh, old-school, products, you run a chance of lessening the life of your fields due to larger material in the fields and making the fields work harder. We recommend scented air filters for the roof vents for septic smells in the yard, and our Outhouse products are all natural and fully bio-degradable. We do not use anything else but products made like Nature intended it to be.
Everyone seems to be talking about environmental issues, eco-friendly liquid waste companies, “green” products, etc. In fact, every aspect of servicing septic tanks and portable toilets has the potential to be considered “green” technology. Some companies build their portable units using recycled plastics. Recycling is a big step towards eco-friendly practices. However, eco-friendliness does not stop at the portable toilet structure and components. To be fully green, portable toilet rental companies could also take heed of the kinds of products and deodorizers that are being used. To be fully committed, to go “green all the way,” companies can take advantage of deodorizers free of formaldehyde and alcohol and that are nontoxic. Also, they can make sure that the cleansers and solvents they use that biodegradable and nontoxic, and avoid Aerosols, Butyl, and Glycol. Finally, they can make use of recycled paper products that are chlorine free like Russ’s Septic does. In addition, both the paper products and the water used in flushable stalls can be conserved through dispensing systems. Finally, gray water from sinks can even be treated and recycled at a certified waste treatment center.
When talking to Mr. Walter Jamie Conner, founder and owner of Waterloo Washrooms, a very promising and well-organized upstart business, specializing in mobile, luxury restroom services whose home base is in Tampa, Florida, we really get a sense of the depth of commitment to eco-friendliness that Kristeen Neher was expressing. The eco-friendly approach to the liquid waste industry is really motivated not by being fad or anything of the sort. It really comes from the heart. As Conner explains, “my wife and I lead a very active and health conscious lifestyle. Years ago we realized how much of today’s food and household products contain harmful chemicals. We don’t believe this is how food was meant to be consumed and we made the decision for our family to eat all natural, organic, pesticide free, antibiotic free, and farm raised foods. Our lifestyle change brought awareness to how many other products around our home contain harmful chemicals that are used on a daily basis. This new societal awareness has created a huge market for all-natural household cleaning products making them much easier to find. It also it is very important to us that our business is a reflection of our beliefs, which is why we’ve chosen to clean our trailers and treat the waste tanks with all natural products that are friendly and non-harmful to the environment.”
Along with using products and deodorizers in portable toilets, they also have to be stocked with toilet paper, and Kristeen of Russ’s Septic has found a creative and interesting way to contribute to environmental issues, give back to their local community and participate in a creative and fun way to donate to developing-world problems. They have grave difficulties receiving fresh water, which has become a real problem for poor communities all over the developing world. “After each service job we hand out a roll of toilet paper sponsored by Who Gives a Crap, from Crowdfunded Toilet Paper Company,” explains Kristeen, continuing “that donates 50% of all profits from the sale of their toilet paper rolls to improve sanitation in third-world countries.” The Who Give a Crap website explains “Who Gives a Crap‘s simple proposal offers a superior consumable product that pretty much all of us have to stock up on, and the potential for consumers to support a thoroughly worthwhile cause while doing so. The donated funds will go to WaterAid, a non-profit organization with a mission to bring clean water and sanitation to the world’s poorest countries.” “It’s an amazing triple win-win situation” Kristeen tells us, going on, “we generate good will in our community and bring awareness to the dire state of sanitation and fresh water around many parts of the world, while actually helping poor and desperate people who live in such terrible conditions.”
Which products do you use?
Story by Mark Joseph Manion
RESOURCES:
www.russssepticservice.com
www.gtoservices.biz
http://www.waterloowashrooms.com
Featured in American Liquid Waste
