A disclosure of the University of New Mexico’s investments reveals that it holds shares in three companies directly involved in forcibly removing toilets from buildings, leaving bathrooms with nothing but an exposed sewage pipe on the floor. Some holes have not been properly covered, leaving a sewage gas smell in bathrooms.
The companies, which are responsible for removing and destroying millions of toilets from buildings worldwide, include Flushed 04, Sludge and Tefflawn Toilet.
According to the companies’ websites, toilet vanishing is indiscriminate, and “any property can be next.”
As of publication, the University has not had any reports of missing toilets.
Frustrated by the increased disappearance of toilets worldwide, students, faculty members and community members spoke to UNM leadership about their continued investment in toilet removal companies.
President Garnett Stokes said UNM will not take a position on such issues because of the University’s fiduciary responsibility. Toilet removal companies are currently UNM’s most lucrative investment, Stokes said.
“The return on these investments produces hundreds of scholarships every year to students across multiple disciplines,” Stokes said. “Students also get internships at places like Sludge after they graduate.”
UNM freshman Sera Mick said she thinks UNM’s continued investments in toilet removal are “unplumbed.”
“How can you continue to support companies whose actions destroy bathrooms?” Mick asked.
The lack of toilets has sparked an increase in customers visiting department and hardware stores to try to replace their missing toilets.
Phillip Screw, the national spokesperson from Home Deplorable, said the company is facing a toilet shortage at their stores and that the price of toilets is skyrocketing.
“It’s hard to restock to meet the demand, because toilets have gotten so expensive, which also forces us to raise our prices,” Screw said.
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Plumbers are also overwhelmed by the amount of calls for toilet installations. According to Sue Err, a local plumber, many of her co-workers are leaving their hometowns to escape the constant stream of phone calls from customers.
“Many of them are quitting their jobs as plumbers after over 10 years,” Err said. “The demand is physically and emotionally too much to handle, but I will continue to support my customers through this.”
Earlier this month, witnesses posted video footage that shows unidentifiable members of all three companies entering residential and commercial properties and removing toilets.
One video shows a man climbing through a window and removing a toilet on a pulley.
Res Taurant, owner of The Restaurant, said his whole restaurant smelled like sewage gas.
“We noticed all that was left in the bathroom was an exposed sewage pipe,” Taurant said. “We had to close down for the day until we resolved the situation.”
Stokes said as long as toilet removal companies continue to maximize UNM’s investment returns, the University will not divest anytime soon.
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
