When our new Head of Facilities, Hugh Allcock-Green, recently joined Church House Westminster, one of his first projects was tackling the traditional water-based urinals in the building. As an eco-friendly venue, we are committed to operating in a sustainable manner. Hugh immediately recognised that going waterless will provide substantial benefits in terms of water efficiency, maintenance and costs, and ultimately the environment.
The challenge
Church House Westminster has 72 urinals which all flush several times a day, consuming an estimated 7½ million litres of water every year. In terms of cost, this equates roughly to £1 a day per urinal in water. Moreover, that’s not the only cost once ongoing maintenance and cleaning are added to the ticket. Subsequent hygiene issues tend to block pipes which in turn cause flooding. Then there is the environmental cost. Flushing the urinals waste thousands of litres of water and produce carbon dioxide in the process.
The solution
In February 2021 all our urinals were changed so now they do not use water. This will not only save enough water to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools every year! Other benefits include:
- Reduced water bills – we’re estimating a saving of £14K per year.
- Improved bathroom hygiene – no need to touch a handle to flush, and, the lack of flushing ensures that no particles enter the air.
- Eliminating urinal odours. Big thumbs up from us.
- Reduced maintenance – due to its simple design, floods are a thing of the past and reduced blockages in turn.
- No more harmful cleaning chemicals.
- A reduction in energy consumption
- We continue to do our bit to save the environment. By installing water-efficient facilities, we are helping to reverse the scarcity of water as a resource in London, which is an increasing threat to the region. This is in part due to relatively low rainfall, aging water pipes, and the capital’s increasingly extreme climate, which is exacerbated by its large population using a staggering 143 litres per person per day.
Find out more about our commitment to sustainability which is aligned with our business strategy. We are transforming our processes to net zero carbon by 2030.