Politics & Government

Council Approves Purchase of Composting Toilets

Lower Saucon Manager Jack Cahalan explained that over time, the state-of-the-art commodes will be more economical than the Port-o-lets the township currently uses in some of its parks.

Public restrooms in several Lower Saucon Township parks are about to be brought into the 21st century, thanks to a vote by township council to approve the purchase of several state-of-the-art "composting toilets" April 6.

The toilets are in some ways similar to the Port-0-lets that are currently located in , and Kingston parks, but will function differently thanks to their use of a digestive bacteria to break down waste matter, Lower Saucon Township Manager Jack Cahalan explained.

The temporary toilets at Kingston and Steel City parks will be powered by electricity, and the one installed at Polk Valley Park will be solar-powered, he said.

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Specifically, Lower Saucon will be purchasing the Bio-Sun model of composting toilet, which has been used in Newtown Square, Bucks County's Robertson Park with much success, Cahalan noted.

"There's no odor from this type of composting toilet," he said. "No special toilet paper is required. And we could also accommodate a diaper-changing area if we wanted to."

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Another benefit is that the units themselves are "very low maintenance," requiring clean-out only once every seven years, he added.

For a diagram and detailed information about how the toilets work, click here.

A third benefit is that the units will be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, which will reduce the need for two Port-o-lets at the parks.

The costs associated with having two toilets located at each park are in excess of $6,000 annually per park, Cahalan said. The annual costs associated with one composting toilet in each park will be lower, which will allow the township to recoup its initial investment in them over time, he added.

"The cost for the three (composting) toilets with all of the excavating and all of the site work would be $195,000," Cahalan told council. However, a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant will fund a large chunk of that, meaning the township will only be responsible for about $97,000 of the total cost.

The use of public works department labor will further reduce the total cost of the three toilets to about $70,000, or $23,000 per toilet, Cahalan explained to council.

"I think they're aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly to the parks," he commented.

Council member Ron Horiszny commended Cahalan for his work in researching the product before council voted unanimously to approve the purchase.


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