Dry Composting Toilet
rural technologies
Sanitation is a serious challenge facing many rural communities. Without sewage systems, urine and rainwater inevitably wash excrement into rivers and groundwater systems where families bathe and acquire their drinking water, spreading disease within communities. Traditional solutions aren't very practical for rural communities:
- Sewage systems frequently just move human waste to more distant bodies of water.
- Septic tanks are expensive, use a lot of water, and fill up
- Sewage treatment plants are expensive and inaccessbile to many indigenous villages
The dry composting toilet is an excellent alternative. It separates urine and excrement keeping the human waste dry. This prevents the excrement from running off into water systems and cuts down on odor. In addition, the excrement composts into a natural fertilizer over time. It requires some instruction to build, however the materials are inexpensive and accessible to communities. Here’s how it works:
Chalk or other dry substance is sprinkled over excrement after each use, keeping it dry.
The urine goes into a separate catchment where it runs down into a plastic tank that is emptied regularly
Compost can be removed from back door and used to fertilize soil.
