All About Participating in the Pottie Project

[Grizelda]

How about "BE CAREFUL: HOLD ON TO THAT FLASHLIGHT!" Two different people told me they had dropped their flashlights in the potties by accident last year, and that has got to be worse than 2 ply paper.

[robbidobbs]

Thanks for dropping that sign idea on us Grizelda.

Now for tonight's thoughts...

Because of the way that the potties are cleaned,using a 2" hose nozzle (and some trucks have 3" hoses) there is no need to get more upset about dropping your torch in the toilet than to say "Oh shit". It's really ok. It sucks you lost your flashlight. It's often big enough however -- about the size of a beer bottle or bigger, that when the hose sucks it up, sideways of course, it is pulled out of the pit and popped onto the ground. The driver then collects it and disposes of it properly. It's, by definition, hazmat, so the Dropper of the Debris is merely adding to the overall collection of hazardous materials dump in the world, and being a nuisance to the vendor's employees, but nobody will die over it.

If you really want that whatever back, wait until the unit is serviced by JotS, and they'll cheerfully pull it out, hose it off, and hand it to you, cleaner than it was before you dropped it in. They're nice that way. And while you're waiting for the truck, you could strike up conversations with the people who live in LOS of the potties, you can relax and enjoy yourself, possibly make new relationships. What a deal!
BTW: if the accident occurs at night, the trucks start rolling out at dawn. Bring coffee.

So the goal really is to just be conscious of the issue, don't deliberately drop anything in there, and don't go diving for it unless you understand hazmat procedures. We do not want you to come down with something by getting in contact with something contageous embedded in the feces in there.

Now what about the trash that does make it up the 2"-3" hose? you may be asking. That stuff is screened out and then properly disposed of. Again adding to the overall problem of toxic waste in our world. Cleaning the screens is no picnic either, and the filter operators get really grumpy with this task. Wouldn't you?

Finally, there is the debris that is just almost exactly 2"-3".
These can be baby wipes or pads. Wet-one's and their ilk are not made of paper, but cotton. They turn into glue in the blue shmoo. This gluey glob binds up with the tp swimming with it, and it turns into a pliant glob. One glob can get trapped at the valve on the hose and the whole truck has to be serviced, taking that truck off line, and not continuing on it's merry schedule cleaning our shit. And that really makes the drivers grumpy, because these hoses are cleaned manually.

And what about double-ply and biodegradable stuff? They just don't dissolve fast enough. The units are serviced every 6 hrs. The debris is just too darn sturdy, and it goops up the screens.

SO!

It's really just a good idea to not drop anything in there in the first place.. except...

Poo-poo, pee-pee and the TP,
Not the foodstuffs that's gone creepy.
No shoes, no shirts, no tampons seepy.
Please be neat, and wipe the seaty.

Thanks for listening.

[ibdave]

robbidobbs,
Hats off to your energy that your putting forth for the potties project.

The other day at a job site I saw that the pottie vender pop riveted a small trash can in the corner. I saw that and said WOW. Maybe to late to ask JOTS to provide them this year, but might be worth the call. This year I coming, but late in the week. Thanks, Dave

[PurpleKoosh]

The other day at a job site I saw that the pottie vender pop riveted a small trash can in the corner. I saw that and said WOW. Maybe to late to ask JOTS to provide them this year, but might be worth the call.

Far too easily abused, IMO - it's easy for me to imagine inconsiderate people making commando raids to the nearest JOTS block and trying to throw all their camp trash in the JOTS cans.

[ibdave]

Purple, Good point on those few bad folks . The size of the cans are the size of a small shoe box. But still..............

[PurpleKoosh]

Purple, Good point on those few bad folks . The size of the cans are the size of a small shoe box. But still..............

*nods* The small size of the cans would just mean people started playing Trashcan Jenga that much sooner, leaving us with a trash pyramid next to the sh!t pyramid when JOTS got tired of cleaning up after the fuckers and stopped servicing that bank. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[Stilesfamily]

As I remember back to my 1st burn I think that the first thing I learned was that if you did not swallow it you should not put it in the pottie. As I remember it the saying went “so if you want to throw your shoes in the pottie you have to eat them first”.
I think the issue here is not so much getting the message out. Between the radio spots, greeters messages, postings on and in the potties I don’t think I got through a day last year without hearing it about 20 times. I think the problem here is the careless attitude of “that” portion of our population that does not feel they should have to comply. I fear that it comes along with the mind set of those who just show up to party over the weekend and treat the event like an amusement park where teams of employees follow you around to clean up after you, they listen to the message but refuse to hear it.
I’m not saying what you’re doing is in any way futile, it’s an important message. After all the fate of the event hangs in the balance. I guess I think your either not giving veteran burners enough credit or you’re giving the weekend warriors to much. I would bet that if BM closed the gates at midnight on Thursday not only would the potties be cleaner but a lot of other problems would fade a bit. Obviously that won’t happen but wouldn’t it be nice??

[PurpleKoosh]

I guess I think your either not giving veteran burners enough credit or you’re giving the weekend warriors to much. I would bet that if BM closed the gates at midnight on Thursday not only would the potties be cleaner but a lot of other problems would fade a bit. Obviously that won’t happen but wouldn’t it be nice??

Actually, ticket sales at the gate stopped at midnight Thursday last year, and the gate was closed at 6pm on Saturday. The same holds true this year:

Q. Will I be able to buy tickets at the gate?
A. There will be NO TICKETS SALES at the gate after 11 pm Thursday, September 1st. Tickets will be available at the box office at the front gate during the event, Monday through Thursday, August 29th — September 1st. Tickets purchased at the gate will be higher than any previous levels and will increase over the course of the event.

Q. Are the gates to the event open 24 hours?
A. Yes. However, the gates will be closed to incoming traffic after 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 3rd, prior to the burn of the Man.

Additionally, according to the Afterburn Report's potty page, the problems last year occurred in the first half of the week. So, sadly, it isn't the weekend warriors that we need to concern ourselves with.

[robbidobbs]

Yeppers, that's absolutely correct PK.

We had remarkably clean shit after thurs night. Sure there was the usual Frat Boy BS afterwards, but nothing the JotS boys can't handle with grace and aplomb. Beer bottles and cans are easy, but deliberately broken glass and crushed beer cans thrown in the potties is malice.

Now for tonights thoughts...

Educate, educate, educate
When talking with others, give them information, not just rules. Tell them why their actions are helpful or harmful. Treat them as grown-ups, and offer advice on how to solve our problem.
For instance: Graciously offering tp to the public is nice, but make sure it's 1 ply so it won't gunk up the screens. Burn your wet-ones. Carry a zip-lock bag for your girly-stuff.

It's really that simple: educate others about the issue, tell them WHY it's important, and they will comply.

Give people information and options and they generally (overwhelmingly) agree to help. The newbies are far more receptive to education in my travels, and 3 of my volunteers last year were first time Burners. They were so delightfully enthusiastic.

Whether newbies or vet, we all need to educate others about how important it is to keep the shit clean and moop-free. This is not about slogans, it's about getting the message to stick in participant's heads no matter how wasted they are. It's about making potty-awareness an integral part of our culture of participation.

And every year, we have more people who need to be enculturated.

BITCH
MOAN
WHINE
PARTICIPATE!

The effort is far from futile, as I keep my hand in this shit constantly during the event, and have seen the patterns, and have a really good idea about what needs to be done. (and yes, I enjoyed giving you that visual)

I can really use your help. Yes, you. Just talk to at least 2 people about the issue this year. That's all I ask.

Thank you for participating.

[theCryptofishist]

Robbidobbs--watch your mail later this week.
Fishy

[robbidobbs]

Hi Fishy,
The above treatis was not directed at you, but to the viewing public.

You know I love you.

Oooh! Am I getting gifted???

Wheeee!

[theCryptofishist]

Mostly just those bags we discussed earlier. I hope they aren't too small, but I figure that since you seem to print from your computer you can adjust the size as needed.

[robbidobbs]

Thanks Fishy!

and now...tonight's exciting episode.
What I do, and not do for Burningman

I got flamed by an RV user today who insisted that I should take on more work. I, of course, responded with my usual verbosity, explaining exactly where I draw the line on what's important to me (the Event) and what can be taken up by someone else (luxurious RV living).

This is Burningman, remember?
Radical self-expression?
Self-sufficiency?
Participation?

My job, my mission, my calling is to monitor the porta-potties. It is not to deal with the RV's, evap ponds or gray-water management.
If anyone wants to take these on, feel free to do so.
I was called to my position in Dec 2000. Indeed I had one of those "vision things." Potties became my personal art project. If one wants the job of RV monitor or Evap Guru feel free to make it your calling.

Anyone is welcome to monitor RV pumping. Take it on as your art project. Hang out with the drivers, watch how they work, interview the RV users, volunteer with Playa Info and work on ways to improve the system. That's how positive change will happen, by you participating in the solution.

The lack of an adequate RV pumping schedule will not permanently end BM. Porta potties can and have come close to doing so since 2000.
Poorly maintained evap ponds will not take us out, but might elicit a personal citation from BLM. Gray-water pumping will not destroy us, but dumping the gray water in the porta-potties directly affects the vendor's resources and schedule, and therefore affects me.

What's the big deal about gray-water?
In 2003 there was so much gray-water being dumped into the potties that it was the equivalent of an additional 10,000 people.
Consider: You dump just half-a-bucket of dishwater in there. Doesn't seem like much. Realize the equivalent in piddle from one individual, and then multiply it by all those who thought this was a good idea.

That's a lot of piss-equivalent. It had to stop, because it was overtaxing the JotS resources. They project how much sewage they will pump per day. The storage containers, the trucks, everything is based on these projections. Our inappropriate actions were throwing them way off.

So what should one do if one feels the RV scheduling is bogus?
Take up the complaint about the difficult task of the pumping schedule with Playa Info, that's who maintains it. Hang out there for a day or two, introduce yourself to the manager, volunteer with them, be their
spokesman to JotS. That should bring on the positive changes you seek.

How many RV's are out there?
Gate should have information about how many RV's come in. Spiderman is the manager of Gate, and can direct you to this year's census manager. Two years ago the guestimate was 3000. I worked Gate full time for 3 years, so I fully realize how large the population of RV users is.

And for the record...
My immediate supervisor is HazMatt. He's the Purchasing Manager for DPW. We respect eachother a great deal. He "hired" me because I was already focused on potties for years, and he realized he needed my help. Since I was going to be visiting all the potty-banks on a daily basis anyway, I may as well stock the hand-sanitizer goo. I am however responsible to recruit volunteers to get-er-done.

In short, my job, both inside and outside official channels is porta-potties. Period.

Thanks for listening.

[EvilDustBooger]

I have always liked you Robbidobbs !
We are very lucky to have you as our JOTS - Czar !
Thank you from the very bottom of my Boogity Boogity Shoop !

......and I`ll be there for ya, hanging glowsticks in Porta-Hell !

[robbidobbs]

Big mucussy smooches back at ya, EDB.

Hey Kids,
The JRS has finally posted something about the potties:
"If it doesn’t come out of your body it doesn’t go into the Potty.
Always use a potty for your body waste - not the playa.
Only toilet paper, single ply, and human waste, can go in the potties.
Everything must be pumped through narrow pipes before being trucked to
the treatment plant"
Pretty cool, huh?

Now for tonight's thoughts.
(This is for you,Adrian)
Submissions for Piss Clear

* Items for the "What's Out/What's In" List
Out: Hovering
In: 1 ply toilet paper

* Playa Lingo (words, expressions, catchphrases exclusive to BM)
Hovering, potty-etiquette

* I Remember When...
...nobody was worried about the porta-potties.

* Ways To Fuck Your Life Up At Burning Man
Throw a flair into a porta-potty

Now here's where I'm stumped...
* Things We'd Like To See At Burning Man
I can't answer this one.

.. Can you?

[theCryptofishist]

Now here's where I'm stumped...
* Things We'd Like To See At Burning Man
I can't answer this one.

.. Can you?

Things we don't want to see at Burning Man = Piddle Puddles.

things we want to see? How about commadary at the porta potty lines. Politeness and helpfullness and guys driving art cars yelling at gorgess women (and men) "Show us your one plys!"

[robbidobbs]

Thanks Fishy, I got the bags.

Here's what I'd like to see this year:
Every potty bank adopted by the camps nearby them.

Here's what The Pottie Sprite has to say:
“Make it fun, make it weird, make it useful, make it beautiful, make it part of Burning Man...make it yours and yours to share.”

Consider the way people queue up to the potties. There is a group of people who have nothing better to do than stare at the blue doors. There is about a 20 ft "no man's land" between the participants and the potty-bank. The bank is a large, relatively uniform backdrop. Looks like a stage to me! So for all you performance artists, this is a perfect place to do what you do best, and entertain a welcoming audience. Slide in a few pointers about potty-etiquette and you've made a lot of people happier.

This would also be a great place to set up a trading post. You could be kept in beer all day if you have a big enough mouth. The Goat Ropers did this a few years ago, and they were fed beer all day. They set up 2 folding chairs, an umbrella and a cooler. People would gift them, and they'd trade back gifts. They'd drink the beer of course. By the end of the day they had given away all the schwag back to the community. It was a terrific idea.

So if you have a hankering to so something artistic and meaningful, adopting the potties, or just strutting your stuff at them for a little while, is the best bang-per-buck participation activity I can think of. Guaranteed to get a standing ovation every time.

Thank you for participating.

[Stilesfamily]

I had a very interesting discussion with my wife last night. My wife is a self admitted hoverer, though a courteous one always making sure to clean up after herself if necessary, and upon making the point that disease is very unlikely if you sit down on the throne I was aghast to learn there is another equally serious threat. Apparently there are critters, very odd critters, that are attracted to… well… uhh… warm, moist, dark places that are exclusive to women. So I guess these could be known as Koochy Critters, well at any rate they lurk in the holding area of any given toilet and under the seats. I guess they are not capable of flight or jumping very far as hovering is the only safe option to avoid… well… um… infestation. Upon close personal inspection last night I can verify that my wife is free of any Koochy Critters but apparently the danger is ever present. Please give me any information you may have regarding these illusive creatures.

[robbidobbs]

This sounds like complete and utter hogwash. I have never heard of anything like this, in fact I've only read the opposite -- that it's hogwash. I consider this urban legend spreading, and unless you have cites, I'd appreciate it if you didn't further indulge this.

Fact: the potties are cleaned every 6 hours by contract. Unless the bugs are being shipped in via human carrier (and that's just as likely as getting lice or fleas) then they ain't coming in. Bacteria doesn't do well out there generally.

This was found on a cursory search
http://www.cheshire-med.com/services/bu ... t0101.html
http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/sefton071603.html
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/ja ... .Gb.r.html
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/hea ... shel1.html
http://www.thebody.com/sowadsky/answers/quest353.html

[robbidobbs]

Here's an article I'm reprinting instead of just sending the link, simply because it's written in a style that I appreciate.

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/int ... itis/69400
Author: Robin Flinchum
Published on: May 17, 2001
O.K., I believe I promised you an article about what you can and can not expect from your average public toilet seat. As someone who spends a large amount of time in public restrooms, it became an issue of great concern for me. Probably the thing I hate most about using a public toilet is rushing into the stall in a state of near panic, bladder cramping horribly, and noticing (hopefully before I actually sit down) that there is pee, or even worse–poop, on the seat. Now, I ask you, as I have frequently asked myself and everyone else I know; how does a person relieve themselves ON the seat? I don’t, really, understand the logistics of this, but mainly I can tell you that it is a direct result of an irrational fear of toilet seats, probably implanted by a neurotic parent when the sufferer was but a child.

Here’s how it happens: Forced to stop at a grimy gas station because a small child is screaming to use the bathroom, one of the parents cautions; ‘Don’t sit on the seat, you don’t know what kind of diseases you can catch!’ And there, the damage is done. From then on the child has a bathroom dysfunction that causes him or her (mostly hers) to do all sorts of bizarre balancing acts while they attempt to relieve themselves in the toilet bowl without actually sitting on the toilet seat. Paper covers do little to alleviate this problem, since they are not always available, take too much time, make too much noise, and are prone to getting tucked into the back of your underpants.

The obvious result is that quite often these people do not hit the bowl, leaving the rest of us to come along behind them and contend with the dirty toilet seat. The irony of this is that if people stopped messing ON the toilet seats in the first place, the likelihood of EVER catching ANYTHING from a toilet seat is extremely small. Probably the biggest thing you ever have to worry about from a toilet seat is the transmission of diseases like cholera and hepatitis that can be passed through direct contact with infected feces. If, however, the feces goes directly into the bowl and is then flushed away, then we have nothing to worry about. It is only when the infected person is falling all over the bowl in an attempt to avoid catching some phantom unknown pathogen that disease is truly likely to be spread.

According to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta it IS NOT POSSIBLE to contract sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea or chlamydia from a toilet seat. The chances of catching AIDS are basically non-existent (unless, say, someone with AIDS bled on the seat and then you came along, didn’t notice the blood, had an open sore in an area that just happened to connect with the spot of infected blood before the blood dried completely and the virus died, yeah right). Crabs, also known as pubic lice, can theoretically be picked up from a toilet seat, but again the chances of that are incredibly slim. You would be more likely to pick up pubic lice from using a towel an infected person had just used. Lice tend to stay embedded in the warm, dark areas where they thrive. Bodily contact spreads lice easily because the parasite transfers from one friendly environment to another. Jumping from a friendly environment onto a cold toilet seat is pretty unlikely (this is why they are so hard to get rid of if you ever DO get them).

In other words, we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Making contact with urine, while extremely unpleasant, especially when it is not your own, does not expose you to disease of any kind. In fact, urine is used in some parts of the world as a disinfectant and is thought to have antibiotic properties. Some people believe in drinking their urine and report definite health benefits. Now, I am not suggesting that you drink your urine, only that you follow this simple advice when visiting a public toilet:

1. Check the seat. If there are feces present, find another stall. If that’s not an option, cover the feces with a good layer of paper towels. Don’t try to clean it off–never get your hands in anyone else’s poop, unless it’s your own kids and then, well, nobody else is gonna do it...

2. If there are a few drops of urine, or nothing at all, get a wad of toilet paper, enough to absorb but not soak through to your fingers, and wipe the seat all the way around. Now you have wiped away any wet spots, any lingering pubic lice, and all phantom diseases.

3. If you do happen to see blood on a toilet seat (this irritates me most of all–how hard could it be to control this?), do your best to avoid it entirely. If you have no other options, use a good layer of paper towels and a seat cover if one is available. If you find a restroom with a dirty seat and no paper towels or seat covers, demand supplies from the management. If, in a situation like an outdoor park toilet, there is no one to ask for help, consider finding a place outside to pee (carry your toilet paper away with you and never poop on the ground in a public park unless you can burry it sufficiently to be sure that you have protected everyone in a five mile radius from any dangerous bacteria you might be carrying).

Now, you can sit on the seat and set your mind at ease. And then, when I come along behind you, I can sit on the seat, too. Together we can wipe out this public toilet nuisance!

Until next time, I remain your sister in dysfunctional bladder solidarity.

<end of article>

[Stilesfamily]

JOKE, TOTAL JOKE, NEVER MENT IN ANY WAY TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, KIDDING, RIBBING, PULLING YOUR LEG!!! Let me be clear about this, it is total fiction and I have never herd of anything remotely like this ever happening. My wife was even smiling as she said it, knowing full well the likelihood, or complete lack there of, of this happening. It is so ridiculous that I did not think anyone would take it seriously. So to anyone out there fearing this, it was just a paranoid joke. Still people hover for knowingly paranoid, nonesence reasons.

PS Open discussion, thought there was a little room for humor, guess I should have been more obvious about the joking part.

[Stilesfamily]

I want to apologize for spreading such a rumor. Upon further reflection I am frankly shocked, and a little upset, that I got this reaction. I like to consider myself part of the solution here. It was just that here, though the conversation is potty oriented, I knew everyone was intelligent enough to realize the ridiculousness of this claim. I guess my problem was that no one on the board knows me well enough to realize when I am joking. I though no one would take seriously the existence of “Koochy Critters”. I know the impact of spreading urban legends but you have to realize that people exhibit habits based on irrational fears, is that not what most phobias are? So on top of dealing with more reality based sanitation fears you have to realize you have some fantasy based fears to deal with as well.

But again I appologize to anyone who took me seriously.

[flashgirl]

I abhore using a potty that has been squatted on--I'm sure the bottom of my butt is cleaner than the bottom of your shoes...but since some seem intent no matter the social convention--maybe they can just have a hovering only place (my guess is it will be gross beyond belief in no time...but not my problem).

I've always felt that pots should be marked FAST, MEDIUM, SLOW depending on what you need to do, and how long you think it is going to take...

[robbidobbs]

"hovering only place"

No way.

"FAST, MEDIUM, SLOW "

GUFFAW!!!
This sounds like a good thing to organize at the potty-bank near where you live.

[spectabillis]

Now thats class.

[robbidobbs]

What a cute "real world" picture. Thanks. I keep wondering the conversation they had just before the CLICK!
It probably started casual enough...

One of the wedding party was in the only porta-potty there.
(the writer tosses a coin)

...SHE... had a lot to drink that day, having started at 9am.
"Damn that Andre's can sneak up on you."
She then has to disentangle the damn bridesmaid outfit (while drunk), and it turns into a project beyond comprehension.

She hears someone approach. He tries the door, and says...

[EvilDustBooger]

....."HEY!! Did you FALL in??
Come on now, I`m getting ready to water
aunt Agnes`s rose bushes out here!"

[Stilesfamily]

I actually think that this JotZ issue is the most pressing on the playa right now. If you think about it it’s the one problem that can really cramp everyone’s enjoyment of the event. I am willing to volunteer some time this year to helping out on this issue but in the end I think more resources should be dedicated to this problem. Speaking for myself, I would gladly pay another $10 per ticket to see this problem get more resources focused on it; conversely I would also be willing to bring my own john and pack my own waste out of the event if that it what it would take. Is this a case where the contractor is basically stretched to the limit of there resources or is this a case where the organization has reached a limit on what they can spend on porto potties? I mean we obviously need to get the word out there but there is a limit, as with any public health issue, on what word of mouth and posting bulletins can do. In the end the issue needs to be at least re examined. What’s your mission statement on this whole issue Robbidobbs? And what is the organizations take on it?

[robbidobbs]

http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/g ... bin/ms.cgi
(heavy on the blah, blah, blah)
The Org likes me, they know what I do is important, that's why they keep feeding me.

[Stilesfamily]

Well thanks for clearing that up.

So let me get this straight, I make a joke about Koochy Critters and I get sternly dressed down, then I ask a legitimate and, to me, a pressing question and I get a cartoon. I know the answer may be long and involved, so I don’t blame you for not wanting to write a press release. As well I realize that the whole “Mission Statement” thing is kinda last year but then what's the whole point of this thread?


P.S. How can I help this year?