A chemical disposal point is one of those bits of campsite infrastructure nobody mentions in the brochure, right up until the moment a guest cannot find one. Ask any experienced touring caravanner or motorhome owner what they check before they even book, and a proper chemical disposal point, or CDP, is near the top of the list. Get it right and nobody notices. Get it wrong and it is the first thing they mention in a review.

If you run a CL, a CS, or a small touring park, this is one of those jobs that sits quietly in the background until someone asks an awkward question at check in. Here is what a chemical disposal point actually is, whether you are expected to have one, where to put it, what it costs, and how to keep it from becoming a source of complaints.

What a chemical disposal point actually is

A chemical disposal point is a dedicated drain, usually a hopper or gully set into a hardstanding pad, built for emptying the black waste cassette from a portable chemical toilet. Most tents, trailer tents, caravans and motorhomes carry a cassette style toilet with a removable tank, and that tank has to go somewhere once it is full. A proper CDP gives guests somewhere sensible to pour it, rinse the cassette, and walk away without fuss.

Plenty of people still call it an Elsan point, after the brand that became the generic name for chemical toilet fluid, in much the same way a vacuum cleaner became a Hoover. Whatever you call it on your signage, guests searching for a site will look for the term, so it is worth using it somewhere on your website too.

It is worth being clear about what a CDP is not. It is not the same as a grey water point, which takes waste water from a caravan or motorhome's sink and shower, and it is not a fresh drinking water tap. Many service points on bigger parks combine all three in one area, but they should be clearly separated, and a rinse tap at the CDP should never double as a drinking water supply.

Do you actually need one

If you run a Certificated Location for the Caravan and Motorhome Club or a Certificated Site for the Camping and Caravanning Club, both organisations expect member sites to give guests somewhere to empty a chemical toilet. The exact wording sits in each club's site handbook and can vary a little depending on your site's size and setup, so it is worth checking your own terms directly with your club rather than assuming. In practice, almost every CL and CS ends up providing one anyway, because it is one of the first things a touring guest looks for before they even arrive.

Larger touring parks and licensed campsites usually have it spelled out more formally. Your site licence conditions, agreed with your local council under public health and caravan site legislation, will typically set out sanitary provision including chemical waste disposal, alongside toilets, showers and refuse. If you are not sure what your own licence says on this point, your council's licensing team can tell you, and it is a five minute phone call worth making.

Then there is the environmental side, which sits apart from club rules or a site licence and applies regardless. A CDP has to discharge to a foul sewer, a package treatment plant, or a soakaway that has been properly assessed for the ground conditions, usually signed off by building control or the Environment Agency. It must never run into a surface water drain, a ditch, or a stream. That is not a grey area. Discharging chemical toilet waste into a watercourse is a pollution offence, and it is the kind of thing that turns a minor oversight into a serious problem with the Environment Agency.

Where to put your CDP

Location matters more than most owners expect. A few basics that make a real difference:

What it costs to set up and run

For a small CL or CS that already has foul drainage or a septic tank within reach, a simple setup, a gully, a short run of pipe, a concrete pad and a tap, can often be done for a few hundred pounds including labour. If you are handy and the drainage run is short, some owners manage it as a weekend project alongside a local contractor for the connection itself.

A fuller motorhome service point, combining chemical disposal, a grey water gully and a separate fresh water point in one purpose built area, is a bigger job. Once you account for groundworks, concrete, pipework and fittings, it is realistic to budget somewhere in the low thousands, more if the drainage run to your foul connection is long or the ground needs extra work.

Running costs are modest, mostly water, but do not ignore maintenance. The most common problem is guests putting wipes down the cassette drain, which do not break down and will eventually block a gully or a pipe run. A quick weekly check and a occasional jetting if you are on a septic tank will save you an expensive call out later.

Keeping it running well

A chemical disposal point gets noticed for the wrong reasons far more often than the right ones. A smelly, blocked or hard to find CDP shows up in reviews fast, and it colours how guests remember the whole stay, whatever else you got right. A few habits keep it from becoming a problem:

Telling guests where it is before they even arrive removes most of the awkward first day questions. A line in your arrival confirmation message saying where the CDP is and how it works means fewer guests wandering the site holding a cassette, and fewer questions at the desk during a busy check in. If you mark it clearly on your site map or pitch layout, first time guests can find it themselves without needing to ask at all.

The practical takeaway

None of this is complicated once it is set up properly. A chemical disposal point does not need to be expensive or fancy, it needs to be somewhere sensible, drained properly, signed clearly, and looked after. Get those basics right and it becomes one of the things nobody ever mentions, which is exactly the point.

It is also one of those small details that quietly builds trust with touring guests before they even arrive, alongside the rest of your site information, your pitch layout and how you communicate with people ahead of their stay. Try CampSuite free and you can add your CDP location and etiquette straight into your automated arrival messages and your digital site map, so every guest knows where to go before they even pull onto the drive. It takes about 15 minutes to get set up, and it is free for up to 100 pitches, so most CLs, CSs and small touring parks pay nothing at all.

This article is general information for campsite owners, not legal or environmental advice. Check your club's current site handbook, your site licence conditions and the Environment Agency's guidance for your specific setup before installing or relying on a chemical disposal point. Last updated 28 July 2026.