The toilets of tomorrow are coming to New York City streets later this summer, officials announced Wednesday.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office inked a $4 million contract with the Washington, D.C.-based company Throne Labs to install high-tech, solar-powered port-a-potties in 17 busy areas across the five boroughs. The initiative aims to address the city’s long-running shortage of public restrooms.
The loos have changing tables and sinks, and are similar in size to conventional bathrooms. But officials said they’re far cheaper and faster to install because they don’t need to be hooked up to sewers or other utilities.
The toilets will be remotely monitored by sensors that can dispatch crews to replenish water tanks, empty sewage and prevent people from camping out inside for too long. The city plans to distribute physical cards through outreach teams to provide access for homeless people who don’t have cellphones.
Officials said the toilets require a manual cleaning every 11 to 15 uses, and the contract requires the company to respond to emergencies, like people trapped inside, within two hours.
The bathrooms can be opened with a QR code, text message or mobile app — and will also be equipped with free menstrual products, according to the city's Economic Development Corporation. Officials said the parks and transportation departments will select their locations and begin installing the new toilets by the end of the summer.
Mamdani announced a plan to expand the number of public restrooms in the city during his first weeks in office.
“Building a city around the needs of the New Yorkers means bringing high-quality public restrooms to the neighborhoods in which we live, work and play,” Mamdani wrote in a statement. “New Yorkers, young and old, know all too well the anxiety of trying to find a public restroom in a pinch. My administration is committed to closing the gaps in this public health infrastructure and delivering a network of restrooms that are clean, accessible, and most importantly, close by.”
The Throne Labs contract marks the latest turn in the New York City government's decadeslong effort to address the city’s dearth of public restrooms.
There are not many public restrooms in New York City, with roughly one available for every 8,500 residents.
