Perhaps a urinal in a men's toilet in a new development in the nation's capital is not something most would consider as being at the cutting edge of environmentally responsible development. However, they would be wrong. When Bovis Lend Lease (BLL) began work on the Centraplaza Project in the Canberra suburb of Woden, they were very keen to create a responsible environmental footprint, not only during construction, but also for the effective life of the building. To this end, the urinal became a key factor.
Watersave Australia is a young company that has grown out of a desire to serve the public, business, and the environment in a practical, yet effective way. Established almost four years ago, Watersave is now at the leading edge of sourcing, producing, and supplying environmentally responsible water saving products. They were engaged for the Centraplaza development in the nation's capital by Bovis Lend Lease (BLL), a company that also prides itself on its environmental approach to major commercial and residential development. It is almost a natural conclusion that BLL, when sourcing technology for the Centraplaza Project, would be very interested in the products that Watersave had to offer. As a result, Watersave were contracted to provide Uridan water free urinals for the development.
The Uridan waterless urinal, imported from Denmark, is revolutionary in design and operation and each unit has the ability to save around 65,000 litres of water a year in a commercial setting. The system on which these waterless urinals operate is simple, yet very effective. The waste trap contains a layer of biodegradable vegetable oil which floats on top of the urine underneath. The oil forms a seal (the equivalent to an 'S' bend in a conventional flushing toilet), preventing the escape of any odours and negating the need for flushing.
Without flushing, there is no need for the expensive associated plumbing such as flushing valves, cisterns, and pipe work (a 50mm waste pipe is all that is required). The cost is also significantly less than conventional urinals, and installation is simple and quick with the units weighing only 16kg. The Uridan waterless urinals are made from a high quality ceramic material and considered by the manufacturer to be almost vandal proof, and importantly, they are less prone to blockage problems and overflow of conventional systems.
Watersave have had great success with the Uridan waterless urinal system and some developments are already reaping significant rewards in water saving and operational costs. Aurora Place, in Sydney installed 117 Uridan waterless urinals over 44 floors and it is believed that in the first year of operation the units were responsible for saving about five million litres of water.
Significant and effective savings in water usage can be achieved, in either the home or a commercial setting with the correct application of simple yet effective technology. Watersave's involvement in the Centraplaza development is a terrific example of this paradigm in action.
