One of the main driving factors behind the popularity of the waterless urinal is contained in the name and is self-explanatory; they don’t use water. The only water consumption that is attributable to this type of urinal is for cleaning purposes – but that is a fraction of the amount of water that would be used during regular flushing cycles.
The reduced supporting infrastructure requirement also makes waterless urinals a worthwhile option. Not only is the water usage lower, meaning lower water bills and good news for the environment, but the simplified plumbing requirements mean less installation and ongoing maintenance costs.
Another reason behind the increase in popularity of the waterless urinal is the hygiene aspect. There is a perception among many people that waterless urinals are less hygienic than their flush counterparts. In fact the reverse is true. In order to multiply, most types of bacteria need a warm, moist environment. The constant wetting down of a flush urinal actually creates the type of moist environment that germs love. Because waterless urinals are dry most of the time they do not promote bacterial multiplication. They are a cost effective, environmentally responsible and simple to install alternative to traditional flush urinals.