What size waste effluent tank do I need?

What size waste effluent tank do I need for my site welfare or event toilet sewage capture? Jon Trelfa - of Plastic Solutions (Aldridge) Ltd explains how you choose the right plastic tank size against the cost of removing waste from your site. This blog is the first of a mini blog series on this subject.

Is a big or small tank best?

Here at Plastic Solutions (Aldridge), many of our customers ask us daily,

• ‘Please quote me for: the smallest and cheapest tank you make’ or,
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• 'your most giant tank you sell.’

Which is the right, and which is wrong? Well, it depends – both are correct, and both are wrong! Confused?

To clear this up for you, here are a few illuminating thoughts and facts for you to consider:

All waste sanitation tanks need to be pumped out and cleaned at some point. That has to be done by a tanker vehicle that you need to schedule in advance. That tanker then turns up to suck out all that to remove all the waste effluent. So, depending on the size of your site or event and the size of the tanks you select, you have to determine when it needs emptying.
The thing about small waste tanks is that they fill up fast. So, if you order our all plastic  Mini Tuff Tank for example, it costs less in capital outlay. True!

However, the knock-on effect means it forever needs pumping out. That requires time and money as well - not to mention the carbon footprint in diesel emissions.

So, is it best to order our big plastic Tuff-Tank?

That might not always be right either. Undoubtedly ordering our TT-1000-gallon Tuff-Tank means that it doesn’t need emptying so often - that’s a bonus. However, the cost outlay for the tank and installation or ground-siting costs might be overkill. Also, you need to consider the disturbance of tankers removing the sewage waste from your site or event. For obvious reasons, you want to try to avoid disruption as much as possible.

Here’s a quick case study…

Although our Mini Tuff-Tank (160-gallon) is roughly 1/3 the size of our smallest TT-500-gallon Tuff-Tank, the cost from the liquid waste contractor might mean higher emptying charges. Three x tanker waste removal visits to empty the Mini Tuff-Tank might easily end up higher than just one visit to pump out one 500-gallon Tuff-Tank.

Why would this be? Well, liquid waste contractors generally have standard callout charges for up to 500-gallons (or 2270 litres). That is commercially understandable if they drive 20 miles or more in a large and expensive vehicle using a highly trained operative to get to your site. That means the actual cost of extracting and disposing of each 160-gallon versus 500-gallons waste works out the same. So, you are already paying 3 times over for emptying the small tank compared to the larger tank.  You also have to pay for the tanker, and operative time too. Therefore, it follows in this example that the large tank works out much more cost effective pretty quickly.
So, back to our original question, ‘Is big or small best? In this case, big is best. So, as you have learned, overall, there’s more to picking a waste tank than just going for the cheapest. You’ll need to think about the ongoing costs of cleaning.

At Plastic Solutions (Aldridge), we’ll take that problem away from you. We’ll happily help you select whatever the right sized plastic waste Tuff-Tank is for your specific need.  Whether that’s a tank for your site welfare, your portable toilet blocks, or your event effluent capture and storage, we can help you get your investment just right. Just give us a call.

Did you know that Plastic Solutions (Aldridge) Ltd also have an extensive range of other sanitation and toilet products. In addition, we handle all your potable and fresh water supply tanks and water pumps too.

Our next blog in this series, considers, typically how many gallons of waste needs dealing with at your site. This helps you select the right tank size to handle your waste.

Furthermore,  please look out for our social media posts and join in like and follow us back. Have we told you that we believe we make (probably) the most awesome Plastic Waste Tanks in the universe? However, perhaps we’re biased!

Click here to explore our other blogs
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[700 words]
Sincerely,
Jon Trelfa
The plastic waste tanks and sanitation system experts

0800 334 5742

https://www.plasticsol.com

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