Toilet Equity

We all need a place to go to the bathroom, whether that's to pee, poop, or change a menstrual product. Those of us with stable living or work arrangements are lucky enough to have access to a bathroom whenever we need. For many people in our community, though, bathroom access can be dependent on business hours, or can even mean a hole by the river. 

Toilet Equity is currently partnering with local businesses and organizations in the Grand Valley who host our compost toilets in their parking lots. These toilets help provide 24/7 equitable toilet access for the residents of Grand Junction, including gig workers, delivery drivers, construction workers, families out and about, and our unsheltered neighbors. 

Equitable toilet access is crucial for human safety and dignity. Open defecation creates a public health and environmental hazard for those that live and recreate in the Grand Valley. Beyond that, at Toilet Equity, we believe everyone deserves a safe, private place to do their business. Having to duck into an alley or squat in a field to defecate is stressful and potentially dangerous. Everyone should have reliable access to a toilet. 

Our toilets not only reduce the public health and environmental hazard of open defecation, they work towards the environmental benefit of resource recycling. All our toilets are compost-style, which means users throw in sawdust after use. This prevents odor and flies and starts the composting process. We then take the full receptacles to our compost pile, where they are covered in straw and composted, reaching over 131*F, killing all bacteria and viruses within three days at that temperature. The finished compost can then be used to fertilize plants, stop erosion, or suppress weeds.