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Aportable ormobile toilet (colloquial terms:thunderbox,porta-john,porta-potty orporta-loo) is any type oftoilet that can be moved around, some by one person, some by mechanical equipment such as a truck and crane. Most types do not require any pre-existing services or infrastructure, such assewerage, and are completely self-contained. The portable toilet is used in a variety of situations, for example in urbanslums ofdeveloping countries, at festivals, for camping, on boats, on construction sites, and at film locations and large outdoor gatherings where there are no other facilities. Most portable toilets areunisex single units with privacy ensured by a simple lock on the door. Some portable toilets are small molded plastic orfiberglass portable rooms with a lockable door and a receptacle to catch thehuman excreta in a container.
A portable toilet is not connected to a hole in the ground (like apit latrine), nor to aseptic tank, nor is it plumbed into a municipal system leading to asewage treatment plant. Thechemical toilet is probably the most well-known type of portable toilet, but other types also exist, such asurine-diversion dehydration toilets,composting toilets,container-based toilets,bucket toilets,freezing toilets andincineration toilets. Abucket toilet is a very simple type of portable toilet.
Achemical toilet collectshuman waste in a holding tank and uses chemicals to minimize the odors. Most portable toilets use chemicals in this way and therefore are considered chemical toilets. The chemicals may either mask the odor or containbiocides that hinder odor-causing bacteria from multiplying, keeping the smell to a minimum.[1]
Enclosed portable chemical toilets are widely used for crowds at festivals, and for worksites without permanent toilets, such as early stages of construction and remote worksites.
Onplanes andtrains, some toilets are chemical toilets, and others arevacuum toilets.
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A portable camping toilet has a seat and a small waste tank. Adding a packet of chemicals to the waste tank reduces odors and bacteria, until the waste can be dumped at an appropriate facility. They are used in camping,travel trailers, caravans, and camper vans. They may also be used on small boats which lack a built-inmarine toilet.
Waste aggregation and gelling (WAG) bags have a gel to immobilize liquid waste and surround solid waste in a plastic bag, which is then put in the trash. They are used in the US Army[2] and in wilderness.[3]They can be used to line a bucket, with a toilet-seat lid, and are required for Utah river trips.[4]
Portableurine-diversion dehydration toilets are self-containeddry toilets sometimes referred to as "mobile" or "stand-alone" units. They are identifiable by their one-piece molded plastic shells or, in the case ofDIY versions, simple plywood box construction. Most users of self-contained UDDTs rely upon a collection agency or a post-treatment process to ensure pathogen reduction. This post-treatment may consist of long-term storage or addition to an existing or purpose-builtcompost pile or some combination thereof. The necessity of a post-treatment step hinges upon the frequency and volume of use. For instances of infrequent or very modest seasonal use, a post-treatment phase might be deemed unnecessary due to the lower accumulation of waste, simplifying the overall disposal process.
Container-based sanitation refers to a collection system which regularly replaces full containers with empty containers, and disposes of the waste.
Acommode chair (a chair enclosing achamber pot) is a basic portable toilet that is used next to a bed (bedside commode) for people with limited mobility. Before indoor toilets, it was used world-wide as an indoor alternative to anouthouse.
Theclose stool, built as an article of furniture, is one of the earliest forms of portable toilet. They can still be seen inhistoric house museums such asSir George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site inOld Montreal, Canada. The velvet upholstered close stool used by William III is on display atHampton Court Palace; seeGroom of the Stool.
Early versions of the "Elsan chemical closet" ("closet" meaning a small room, seewater closet, WC, andearth closet) were sold atArmy & Navy Stores. Their use in World War IIbomber aircraft[5] is described at some length by theBomber Command Museum of Canada; in brief, they were not popular with either the flying crew or the ground crew.[6]
African-Americans living underJim Crow laws (i.e. before theCivil Rights Act of 1964) faced severe challenges.Public toilets weresegregated by race, and many restaurants and gas stations refused to serve black people, so some travellers carried a portable toilet in thetrunk of their car.[7]
Since 1974,Grand Canyon guides rafting on the Colorado River have used ammo boxes as portable toilets, typically with a removable toilet seat, according to theMuseum of Northern Arizona inFlagstaff, Arizona.[8][9]
A slang term, now dated or historic, is a "thunder-box" (Oxford English Dictionary: "a portable commode; by extension, any lavatory"). The term was used particularly inBritish India; travel writer Stephen McClarence called it "a crude sort of colonial lavatory".[10] One features to comic effect inEvelyn Waugh's novelMen at Arms:[11]
"If you must know, it's my thunderbox." ... He...dragged out the treasure, a brass-bound, oak cube... On the inside of the lid was a plaque bearing the embossed title Connolly's Chemical Closet.
Another slang term "The Johnny on the Spot" refers to portable restrooms always being conveniently available, denoting a similar meaning as the original phrase.[12]
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