Hogloo has potential

May Gurney is trialling a new, environmentally friendly concept in on site effluent management - portable toilets in layman's language.

The Health and Safety at Work Act for Welfare guarantees certain facilities for people working on site. These include sanitary conveniences, washing facilities, access to drinking water, accommodation for drying and changing clothes, and an area for rest and eating.

The system being trialled, Groundhog Hogloo, is ideal for construction sites. It's entirely self-contained and does not need to be connected to drains or outside services. After use at one location it is simply collected and moved to another site. There's no waste or chemicals to remove, nothing to dispose of and no risk of spillage - all of which is good news for the environment.

Amanda Black, May Gurney's Supply Chain Manager, is heading up the Hogloo trial. She says: "We've had Hogloo on trial at a site in Norwich since July. As you might expect with a prototype, there have been some teething problems but we are well on the way to sorting those out.

"I think it's a great idea because portable toilets are damaging to the environment - with the chemicals and the carbon footprint of the lorries driving around emptying them."

Riaan Kruger is contract manager at the site where Hogloo is being trialled. He said: "To be honest, the trail has not been without its problems but our feedback to Genquip (the company behind Hogloo) will lead to the development of superior facilities.

"Once improvements have been made, I am sure we will use Hogloo on many more sites. It is secure with well laid out facilities including a flushing loo - a definite improvement on the chemically treated (smelly) alternative.

"It's also manoeuvrable and adaptable for towing and setting up of water and power supply - and easy to maintain with many sustainable and environmental benefits."

The Groundhog range of products is marketed by GenQuip Green Innovation - for further information go to: http://www.genquip.net/ .