Sustainable Restroom Operations
By Anne CosgroveFacility Executive
Whether managing numerous restrooms across multiple facilities or overseeing a handful of these spaces, facility executives understand the impact of these facility areas is at an all-time high. Discussions around hygiene, wellness, and the role buildings can play in occupant health are part of the daily discussion for many, even in mainstream media. Green building programs and certifications, whether focused on the whole building or specific products and processes, continue to evolve. And facility management professionals should evaluate their current green restroom practices to ensure they are operating with the best options available for their situation.
The employees, students, customers, and visitors who utilize a facility’s restrooms come away with an impression of the organization overall, for better or worse. Meanwhile, operations and maintenance for the facilities department are affected daily by the equipment installed in these spaces. And as has been the case for a number of years, the environmental friendliness of restrooms are also at the forefront. Equipment choices coupled with maintenance practices go a long way to provide restrooms that are comfortable for the end-user while also easing maintenance and reducing related costs for the facility.
One way for facility management leaders to evaluate the efficiency of restroom maintenance is by taking a look at how current practices address: surfaces; air quality; and environmental impact. By taking these three aspects into account, this can lead to decision that improve the occupant experience, while also saving time and money.