A practical guide to getting your portable sanitation right – without the guesswork (or the queues).
There’s a certain skill to planning a great event. You nail the catering, lock in the entertainment, sort the marquee and then, somewhere near the bottom of the checklist, you glance at the words “portable toilets” and think: how many do I need?
Get it wrong in one direction, and you’re dealing with long queues, unhappy guests, and overflowing units. Get it wrong in the other, and you’ve blown the budget on toilets no one used. Here’s how to get it right.
Attendee numbers and event duration are key
The two most important inputs for any toilet calculation are the number of attendees and the duration of the event. Everything else adjusts from there.
The events industry follows this general rule of thumb:
1 portable toilet per 50-75 guests for events up to 4-6 hours
1 unit per 35-50 guests for events running 6–10 hours
1 unit per 25-35 guests for multi-day events or festivals
So, for a one-day outdoor wedding with 150 guests, you’d typically want at least 3-4 units.
Other factors to consider
Alcohol – If alcohol is being served, plan to increase your toilet count by around 20-30%.
An event with an open bar or a full day of drinking will put far more demand on your facilities than a dry corporate conference of the same size. This is one of the most underestimated factors in toilet planning, and it’s the one most likely to cause problems by mid-afternoon.
Gender split – Standard portable toilets are used by everyone, but women generally take longer per visit than men; the industry often quotes this as roughly twice as long on average. If your event skews heavily female, you should increase your total count by 10-20%. For male-heavy events (certain sporting events, some trade shows), you may be able to sit at the lower end of the range.
Food – Events that serve a full sit-down meal will see a spike in toilet demand roughly 60–90 minutes after service. This is predictable and worth planning around.
If you’re hosting a formal dinner, a long lunch, or a food festival, add at least one extra unit to your baseline calculation. If you’re running food trucks across a full day, treat it similarly to an alcohol event and plan conservatively.
Servicing: The thing everyone forgets
For events longer than about 8 hours, or for any event with more than 200 guests, you’ll want to discuss servicing with your hire company. This means a pump-out during the event to keep units fresh and functional.
At Greenstar Hire, we provide servicing as an add-on. Factor this into your budget. It’s far cheaper than the alternative.
Book hire toilets early
Portable toilet hire is one of those things that gets booked out faster than you’d expect, particularly during peak event season. Get your quote and booking locked in at least 4-6 weeks before your event, earlier for large events and peak weekends.
Event sanitation isn’t glamorous, but it’s one of those things your guests will notice if it goes wrong. A few minutes of planning now will save you big headaches on the day.
Call us on 02 6788 1234 to discuss your next event.
