Toilets and the services they provide have long been a taboo subject. But since the inception of World Toilet Day by the World Toilet Organization (WTO) on November 19, 2001, the dark secrecy surrounding these taken-for-granted fixtures has been flushed away by a growing movement around the world. The aim of the organization is to focus attention on the lack of toilets and sanitary facilities in underdeveloped nations.
“Sanitation is more important than independence” - Mahatma Ghandi
According to the World Water Council, “more than one out of six people lack access to safe drinking water, namely 1.1 billion people, and more than two out of six lack adequate sanitation, namely 2.6 billion people (Estimation for 2002, by the WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2004). 3900 children die every day from water borne diseases (WHO 2004).”
Celebrations
However, in some countries there is cause to celebrate. In Moldova, a tiny landlocked state in Eastern Europe, children attending school in the small village of Hasnasenii Mari are the recipients of their school’s first toilet. It is also the first eco-friendly, urine diverting dry toilet (UDDT), or composting toilet, that requires no water.
“Access to clean water is one of the main problems facing the population,” said Dr. Vitali Vorona, Church World Service regional representative for Europe, the NGO responsible for bringing the new systems to the area.
“It’s almost ironic,” said CWS’s Tom Hampson, of Elkhart, Indiana, “that, here in struggling Moldova, a modest little rural school with so few resources should be introducing sanitation facilities that are increasingly becoming a leading edge green technology choice in far more developed countries.
African Toilets
In Nairobi, Kenya, there is a revolution of sorts. Several entrepreneurial companies are finding ways to resolve the lack of sanitation issues that are plaguing the country. It has been more than 30 years since that country invested any funds into the water and sanitation system. Hence, the phenomenon of the “flying toilet,” a plastic grocery bag used as a toilet, tied closed then thrown out the window.
One such company, Sanergy is a new company just launched by young graduates from MIT’s Sloan School of Business. According to the co-founder, Ani Vallabhaneni, “Nairobi’s become the Silicon Valley of shit.” The company recently won $100,000 in a business plan competition at MIT, and has begun developing their model of pay-per-use toilets, branded “Fresh Life,” around the slums of Nairobi. But their concept goes beyond the pay-per-use franchise model. The waste is collected in airtight containers, then the contents fed into a centralized biogas digester, which converts it into methane gas to produce electricity and nutrient-rich fertilizer, which can then be sold as a by-product.
How to use a PeePoo. Photo courtesy PeePoople
A company from Sweden, PeePoople, is also developing an alternate toilet solution. Called PeePoos, these small single-use hygienic bags turn human waste into fertilizer. Peepoople co-founder Camilla Wirseen claims the bags meet the principles of sanitation set by the World Health Organization:
WHO has established three requirements for a sanitation system to function for the individual, his/her surroundings, and for society in general. It must:
- Isolate feces from the individual.
- Prevent flies and small animals from coming into contact with feces, in order to prevent contamination.
- Inactivate pathogens in feces before they are returned to nature.
There is a small fee for the bags, which are used at home and then returned to a drop off point for a “refund,” which encourages use. For an area with no running water and very little infrastructure, this is a reasonable solution, but one that people from more developed countries might find unpleasant.
But they do beat the “flying toilets!”
Home Grown Solution
A different solution to the sanitation problem is being tackled by a local entrepreneurial company. In 2006, Ecotact brought pay-per-use toilets and showers to Kenya’s urban centers.
“We invest in innovations,” says founder and CEO David Kuria.
Using a Build-Operate-Transfer model of public-private partnership, Ecotact enters in to five-year contracts with municipalities to use public land. The company bears all construction costs and operates the facilities for the duration of the contract. At the end of the time period, the company either hands over the facility to the municipality or the contract can be extended.
Currently there are more than 40 IkoToilet facilities operating in Kenya. Each one attracts other small businesses, like hair salons and shoe shiners, whose clients are the millions of customer who use the facilities.
Not Just Africa
Mahatma Ghandi said that sanitation is more important than independence. All over the world, lack of sanitation facilities deny many people the basic necessities of life. With the recent $270,000 funding from The Gates Foundation, World Toilet Organization’s global advocacy on sanitation can continue to expand to other areas in need.
