Have you ever wondered how porta potties are made? Though more people are becoming comfortable with using porta-potties, many still have unanswered questions about them. For instance, how porta potties are made, or what are the steps involved in porta-potty construction?
This article will try to answer some of these questions.
How to Make a Porta Potty
Porta potties have come a long way. Today, you can find flushable, odor-free porta potties with hand washing stations and interior lighting. However, this was not always the case.
Early Years of Porta Potties

Manufacturers first introduced porta potties to provide construction workers with restrooms they could use while working. However, these construction site toilets were awkward and heavy.
While the switch to fiberglass helped, porta potties did not reach their modernity peak until the 1980s. This period saw more and more manufacturers start to use polyurethane to mold their restrooms.
Their growing popularity on building and construction sites led to more innovation in how manufacturers build portable toilets.
How Modern Porta Potties Are Made
Today, most manufacturers build their porta potties using polyurethane plastic. This material makes porta potties easy to make and clean. Additionally, it does not absorb odors.
As beneficial as polyurethane plastic is, some manufacturers use HDPE, a recyclable and more earth-friendly alternative.
While how porta potties are made varies depending on the porta-potty manufacturer, the process follows several general steps, including:
- Melting the plastic: The portable toilet manufacturing process begins with the heating and melting of plastic pellets.
- Addition of colorants: After, the manufacturer adds dyes and a UV protectant to the melted plastic.
- Pressing: They then send the material to rollers that press it into sheets.
- Cutting: Workers then cut the sheets to a specific width and length.
- Reheating and molding: Afterwards, manufacturers reheat the cut sheets before placing them in a mold and pressing them for a while to create the unit’s panels.
- Creation of additional porta-potty parts: After creating the panels, workers make other porta-potty parts like toilet paper dispensers and cleats using injection molding or CNC machines.
- Assembling: The workers then drill holes into the panels and assemble the units in the desired form.
- Inspection: The manufacturer inspects, cleans, and prepares the finished porta-potties for shipping.
In most cases, porta potty manufacturers will attach the portable johns to trailers for easy transportation. These trailers also provide users with a more feature-packed experience because their beds offer room for mounting more stuff.
Sometimes the setup could also include some piping for running water.
Renting a Porta Potty
Porta potties are great for events, festivals, and parties that don’t have proper bathrooms for guests to use. However, considering the different types of porta potties that are available, finding suitable portable toilets to rent can be challenging.
Fortunately, there are a few factors that can make the process easier, such as:
- How many people are attending the event?
- What type of event is it?
- What features would you like the porta potties to include?
- How clean are the portable toilets?
- What’s the company’s reputation?
Number One Porta Potty Rental Service
Porta potties have gone from heavy, awkward iterations to modern, elegantly designed versions.
At Wilkinson Portables, we provide next-gen portable toilets that feature a pleasant environmental feel and look. The units we offer are spacious and have ideal ventilation, preventing the buildup of unwanted tank odors.
If that wasn’t enough, we use “Blue” toilet chemicals of the highest quality to remove unpleasant smells.
Knowing how porta potties are made can help you determine what to look for when shopping for portable johns for a large event or a construction site. However, you’ll still need a professional supplier of quality portables in the Greater Sacramento Area.
Fortunately, Wilkinson Portables is always on hand to satisfy your requests. We are a trusted supplier of high-quality porta-potties serving El Dorado County, Folsom, Plymouth, and Placerville. Give us a call today at (530) 287-6137 to learn more.