When Bovis Lend Lease (BLL) began work on the Centraplaza Project in the Canberra suburb of Woden, they were keen to create a responsible environmental footprint, not only during construction, but also for the effective life of the building. To this end, the urinal became a key factor.
Watersave Australia is a young company that has grown out of a desire to serve the public, business, and the environmental in a practical, yet effective way. Established almost 4 years ago, Watersave now sources, produces, and supplies, environmentally responsible water saving products.
Watersave Australia was engaged for the Centraplaza development, in the nation's capital, by Bovis Lend Lease (BLL) a company that also prides itself on its environmental approach to major commercial and residential development.
BLL, when sourcing technology for the Centraplaza Project, was interested in the products that Watersave Australia had to offer. As a result, Watersave Australia was contracted to provide Uridan water free urinals for the development.
The Uridan waterless urinal, imported from Denmark, is advanced in design and operation and each unit has the ability to save around 65,000 litres of water a year in a commercial setting.
The system on which these urinals operate is simple, yet effective. The waste trap contains a layer of biodegradable vegetable oil which floats on top of the urine underneath. The oil forms a seal (the equivalent to an S bend in a conventional flushing toilet), preventing the escape of any odours and negating the need for flushing.
Without flushing, there is no need for the expensive associated plumbing such as flushing valves, cisterns, and pipe work (a 50mm waste pipe is all that is required). The cost is also significantly less than conventional urinals, and installation is simple and quick with the units weighing only 16kg.
The Uridan urinals are made from a high quality ceramic material and considered by the manufacturer to be almost vandal proof, and importantly, they are less prone to blockage problems and overflow of conventional systems.
Watersave Australia has had good success with the Uridan waterless system and some developments are already reaping significant rewards in water saving and operational costs. Aurora Place, in Sydney installed 117 Uridan urinals over 44 floors and it is believed that in the first year of operation the units were responsible for saving about 5 million litres of water.
Significant and effective savings in water usage can be achieved, in either the home or a commercial setting with the correct application of simple yet effective technology.