To receive the above presentation.

Will Hattersley from Waterless Solutions by Elemental gave a presentation to Members on the benefits of using waterless urinals in Council buildings. He explained he originated from Australia and had lived in the UK for four years; water was a precious resource in Australia where they used tanks to preserve water and so, he had grown up with the lifestyle of preserving water. Will Hattersley stated men’s urinals always bugged him due to the amount of water they used so he began working with Whiff Away to reduce the water used in public buildings.

Even through pricing regulation for water, there were still huge variants in the prices for water and urinals were the single biggest user of water per day with over 157,000 litres per day being used on average for four flushes per day. Will Hattersley continued to give his presentation which included the following key points:

Ø  The WhiffaAway Group was founded in 1992, they invented the original waterless urinal in 1993, making it the world’s first retro-fit. They now had in excess of 100,000 urinal installations across the globe.

Ø  WhiffAway controlled the process from start to finish and were the only company to design, manufacture, install and maintain their waterless urinals.

Ø  They had a nationwide network of qualified engineers and plumbers.

Ø  One of their key USP’s were their initial free site assessments. That was not just a count of the urinals in situ, they also determined compatibility with their retro-fit systems and any access issues to pipes for servicing.

Ø  When retro-fit was not possible, they offered other options ranging from new bowls to alternative water saving options.

Ø  Additionally. Their smart water metering was able to determine current water usage so that actual savings were fact rather than fiction.

Ø  Everything they provided was backed up by their service and satisfaction guarantee.

Ø  WhiffAway were happy to carry out free trials and they would not remove any urinals already fitted that were in good working order.

Ø  Their traps were manufactured in Scotland.

Ø  The traps used a one-way valve so the urine went down the valve and then the valve seals which stopped any smell.

Ø  The device was patented and the seal worked with a cartridge which contained a green enzyme block which broke down the urine.

Ø  The enzyme blocks were replaced quarterly and there was also a filter that captured any gum or hair to stop the device getting blocked.

Ø  Their pipes were custom made and tested. Nothing would be removed that was needed and the Council could always revert back to using a water system if it chose to.

Ø  WhiffAway provided three months’ supply of cleaning product and they scheduled quarterly visits to carry out the service, replace cartridges and clear through the pipework; a flow test was also carried out.

Ø  A report would be provided on how the system was working and if further cleaning was required. The cleaning products would also be replenished.

Ø  Cleaning the system was a very simple process, using a spray and a wipe of the bowl every day. And then a deeper clean was to be carried out once a week.

Ø  There were other systems out there but WhiffAway provided maintenance, replacement valves, cartridges etc.

Ø  WhiffAway had installed sensors at Heathrow’s T3 to show the water usage used. Heathrow were shocked to see how much water they used before WhiffAway installed their waterless urinals, compared to how much water they saved following installation.

Ø  The waterless urinals were the Council’s big opportunity to reduce water consumption and try and be greener.

Ø  The bowls at the Town Hall were very easy to adapt.

Ø  The Coach Park in Windsor had 12 urinals installed and WhiffAway could adapt those to waterless urinals.

Ø  WhiffAway were unable to convert the bowls at Bachelors Acre but, they could work on a solution in the longer term.

Ø  There was a long lead time on installation as WhiffAway needed to ensure the public and other stakeholders were happy before installation took pace.

Ø  Will Hattersley proposed installing a water metre to measure usage over two months. If a considerable amount of water was being used, the waterless urinals could be fitted, monitor how they were working for up to eight weeks and then provide the Council with a report putting the case together for all toilets that would work using the WhiffAway system.

Will Hattersley confirmed if WhiffAway converted five urinals in the Town Hall, that would cost £120 per urinal. It was then £45 per service per urinal which included the cleaning products. It worked out much cheaper than running a water based system. Councillor Sharp asked if the system was available to buy. Will Hattersley responded it was available to buy but, he tried to steer people away from that option. Sainsburys had installed the WhiffAway system nationwide and had their own cleaning team carry out the maintenance, but it went wrong so Sainsburys asked WhiffAway to go back in and do the maintenance. He added that it would cost a little more for WhiffAway to carry out the maintenance but, it would not cost much more and it was an option.

Will Hattersley confirmed each green enzyme cartridge cost approximately £13 each. He stated it would be marginally cheaper for the Council to change the cartridges and carry out the maintenance in house but, it was not that much cheaper. Councillor Yong said speaking from a feminine perspective, when she walked passed men’s toilets, it often smelled. If the WhiffAway system stopped that smell, then the costs would be worth it. Will Hattersley confirmed there was a seven month lead time and if the Panel wanted to see what they were like, they were installed in Sainsburys. He added he could also offer a one-way valve for floor drains too which stopped smells getting up through the drains.

The Chairman asked if any other Council’s had installed the WhiffAway system. Will Hattersley responded trials had been carried out in Bath and with Greenwich Leisure. Other customers included the Olympic Statium, Fullers, Heathrow, PFP Leisure, as well as other independent restaurants. The Chairman asked if WhiffAway were working with old bowls, and a bowl was to get damaged, would that be at WhiffAway’s expense. Will Hattersley stated all bowls would be surveyed and if they were needing to be replaced, that would be built into the price. However, if a new bowl was not required, but got broken by WhiffAway, the costs would be covered by WhiffAway. The bowls were cleaned before and after works were carried out.

Will Hattersley confirmed that bleach would damage the seal in a one-way valve and then the smell would return; that would be picked up during a service and the seal would be replaced. The valve would go white if bleach is used, but it was easily fixed. If it was a one off, WhiffAway would not charge for a replacement but, if it kept happening, the Council’s own maintenance staff could change the valve. He added the cartridges used were also recycled so it was a much more environmentally friendly system.

The Chairman stated the concept was very interesting and thanked Will Hattersley for attending and giving his presentation.