They’ve been called many things; a porta-john, chemical toilets, and sometimes portable toilets. You’ll most often see a porta potty (or a while slew of them) and large outdoor events. Festivals, gatherings etc. There’s even a law that requires every construction site to feature porta potties, to avoid the site being contaminated and give the workers a decent place to relieve themselves.
According to our friends in Porta Potty San Diego, you can rent porta potties for relatively little and they’re easy to use and clean. Not to mention the amount of water saved by using them instead of normal toilets (approximately 45,000,000 gallons a year!) and the added convenience of not having to squat in a corner or bush somewhere to do your business.
A porta-potty is made up of a high-density polyethelyne/aluminum body and a transluscent roof with vents here and there to let out the smell and let air in. You also have porta potties with pressure and flushing systems that circulate the chemicals and water in the tank at the bottom. The chemicals include water, fragrance, biocides and enzymes, and blue dye. All these help kill the smell and keep the porta potties hygienic.
Porta potties might not be the most pleasant places to do your business, but they’re a lot better than the outdoors!