How To Start A Lucrative Mobile Toilet Rental Business In Nigeria: The Complete Guide

On the hierarchy of human needs, physiological needs are regarded as the most basic because they are essential for daily survival. One of the most fundamental physiological needs is the need for food. As the need for food is met, there arises another seemingly inconsequential but, in fact, important need: passing out body waste!

According to the WHO, about 2.3 billion people worldwide do not have access to basic sanitation facilities. The situation is much worse in developing nations of the world. As of 2018, about 47 million people in Nigeria alone were reported to practise regular open defecation. In addition to the utility toilet facilities, adopting the use of mobile toilets has been one of the most assured ways of curbing open defecation and meeting people’s need to ease themselves especially at public functions.

Although mobile portable restrooms are still relatively new, statistics prove that they are gaining widespread adoption in developed and developing nations. As of 2018, the global market for mobile toilet rental business was valued at USD 15.08 billion, with an estimated growth to USD24.70 by 2025 at a CAGR of 7.3%! The United States, India, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and South Africa are some of the biggest markets for portable toilets at the moment.

Thanks to government injunctions on open defecation, awareness on the need for public hygiene as well as regulations guiding public gatherings and construction groups, the Nigerian mobile toilet market is on an unprecedented rise. Mobile toilet rental is more commonly practised in Abuja, Lagos, Anambra and Delta states. Going by available statistics, the ease of use as well as government policies on sanitation, the demand for mobile toilets is bound to rise significantly in the coming years, and this makes it a highly lucrative business for investors. If you’re planning to start a mobile toilet rental business, this step-by-step guide will make it easier for you.

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What Is A Mobile Toilet?

A mobile toilet is a portable self-contained toilet facility that can be moved from one place to another. They come in various sizes and operate just like the regular modern toilets, but rather than conveying the waste into a sewage disposal, it is moved to a holding tank underneath, which contains chemicals that eliminate odors, kill germs and break down solid waste.

What Is A Mobile Toilet Rental Business?

A mobile toilet rental business describes the service of leasing out portable toilets. Renting mobile toilets fills the gap at outdoor events, construction sites and other temporary public gatherings where permanent toilet facilities are unnecessary.

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Business Opportunities In Mobile Toilet Rental Business In Nigeria And Across The World 

1). Delivery And Retrieval Of Mobile Toilets:

A mobile toilet rental business incorporates the services of certain key trained personnel, including distributors and experts at retrieving the used toilets and disposing the waste to authorised disposal sites. Such personnel are trained on hygiene practices and how to properly dispose waste without causing health challenges either for themselves or for the society at large.

2). Production And Sales Of Mobile Toilets:

Depending on your startup capital and interest, you could choose to supply mobile toilets to other restroom rental businesses or focus solely on renting. Either way, a mobile toilet rental business creates business opportunities for producers and importers of mobile toilet facilities.

3). Maintenance And Sanitation Services:

For proper hygiene, mobile restrooms have to be properly cleaned. This is an essential component of running a portable toilet rental business which keeps professional cleaners in business.

Facts And Benefits Of Mobile Toilets

• Mobile restrooms are smart replacements for the conventional toilets.
• They are essential for temporary residency.
• They are equally useful at public or outdoor events.
• Mobile toilets are necessary to maintain a clean and safe environment.
• Mobile toilets are easier to maintain, and the collected wastes are easier to dispose.
• The United States, India, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and South Africa are some of the biggest markets for portable toilets.
• In Nigeria, mobile toilets are used mainly in busy cities such as Abuja, Lagos, Edo, Delta and Anambra.
• Portable toilets were first seen in World War II
• All across the world, portable restrooms save about 45 billion gallons of fresh water.
• Portable toilets are known by different names, including comfort station, sanican, port-a-loo, etc.
• During presidential inaugurations in the US, thousands of portable toilets are made available.
• Psychologists report that the first toilet in the row is always the cleanest.
• A portable toilet was found at the excavation of the tomb of an Egyptian official back in the 14th century.
• The blue dye in portable toilets are meant to cover up the color of waste, submerge odors and kill germs.
• Tissue papers were not available until the late 19th century!

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Types Of Portable Toilets

1). Standard Portable Toilets:

These are, no doubt, the most common toilet types. They come in the standard full height size and are available in different number of rows. In some standard portable toilets, the flush system is operated by foot for extra hygiene caution. This is the type used mainly for toilet rental services.

2). Portable Urinary Systems:

These are mobile toilets used mainly at construction sites and public events, and they are especially reserved for taking a leak. In most designs, you just have to stand at the door and ease yourself. Some others have provisions for more than one person at a time.

3). Luxury Mobile Toilets:

Luxury mobile toilets are very large expensive portable toilets. They are reserved for VIP occasions and are moved by large trucks. They contain almost all the facilities present in a conventional modern toilet.

4). Portable Thunderboxes:

Thunderboxes are small toilets made of wooden boxes and a small bucket placed underneath. They are almost out of use, especially in major towns, because they are less hygienic.

How To Start A Lucrative Mobile Toilet Rental Business In Nigeria: A Step-By-Step Guide

1). Conduct A Feasibility Study:

For a start, you should conduct a feasibility study to ascertain what areas are most suitable for your mobile toilet rental business, the availability of potential clients, etc.

2). Draft A Business Plan:

A comprehensive business plan comes in handy in helping you make vital decisions at every point of starting up your mobile toilet rental business, your target for the business, available capital, and possible expenses, among other key factors.

3). Get A Location:

The decision on the locality to set up your business should have been made at the first two stages. Afterwards, locate a favourable business site. Any site at the heart of a town will do since all you have to do is store up your mobile toilet facilities and run administrative duties there.

4). Buy The Needed Facilities:

After setting up your business site with enough space for storing your mobile toilets, it is high time you bought the needed sanitation facilities. Mobile toilets range from N15,000 to over N300,000 on Jiji.ng, depending on the sophistication and components. On a large-scale, you need trucks and pumps, etc.

5). Register Your Business:

As a mobile toilet rental business, you need to register to use an authorised sewage dump, get operation permits from the waste management body, the health ministry, and also register your business with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

6). Advertise Your Services:

After setting up the basics and your business is set to operate, you need to locate your potential clients. Depending on the most available and effective method in the locality, you have to run ads and network with others.

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Challenges Of A Mobile Toilet Rental Business In Nigeria

• High cost of maintaining mobile toilet facilities
• Problems of securing operational permits
• High cost of registering with multiple bodies.
• Difficulty in disposing waste materials.
• Possible competition from other rental companies.
• Poor road network
• Unfavourable environmental regulations
• Difficulty in keeping up to demands

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To Sum It Up

Setting up a mobile toilet rental business does not appear like a very dignifying job but it sure contributes maximally to the environment. The mobile toilet rental business in Nigeria can be a lucrative and profitable venture to start-up, due to its vast market demand and on your ability to build a wide network. If you’re looking for a lucrative business to venture into, the mobile toilet rental business in Nigeria is a great option to explore.

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