FH Wetland Systems Ltd
Emergency dry toilet designs - free to download
Global events are leading to huge displacements of people around the world. Whether fleeing war or the many and varied impacts of climate change and ecosystem collapse, large groups of people are being forced to leave the comfort and security of their homes. Poor access to toilets and proper sanitation can exacerbate the problems that people face while they are on the move.
The two compost toilet designs below are can to be used to provide safe, clean sanitation for temporary situations. The Temporary Design allows for quick construction to protect the local environment and provide people with access to private, safe and clean facilities in an emergency situation. The Permanent Design is more labour and materials intensive to build, but is better suited to longer term use.
These designs provide a quick summary of just two of the many different dry sanitation options that are available online. There is a list of resources below which provides essential background reading before deciding on which option to select in your particular area and circumstances.
Dry toilet systems can save water, avoid pollution and provide a safe and hygienic sanitation option. However please note that these designs do not necessarily adhere to national or international design codes for sewage treatment (partly since dry systems are not, by definition, sewage), but are intended for emergency use in circumstances where an immediate solution is required.
Follow these links for valuable background information:
- A Community GUide to Environmental Health. Chapter 7 of this resource provides a through overview on Building Toilets for emergency situations.
- Ecological Sanitation Research website is an invaluable resource for dry toilet systems, with Ecological Sanitation a good concise document if you want to learn more about this subject before building.
- Toilets that Make Compost is another EcoSanRes document. This shows further advice on many aspects of building and maintaining your own system. Available in English and French.
- The EcoSanRes Factsheets are a good place to start if you want quick guidelines on the subject.
- L'uritonnoir Dry Urinal. This is an ingenious French design that funnels urine into a large round straw bale. The nitrogen in the urine composts the carbon in the straw and after 12 months you have nutrient rich compost. A simpler model is to stand a small square bale on edge so that the straw bristles are standing vertically and peeing directly on that. Screen for privacy and add new bales as needed. Although this only caters for half the population, that's still a 50% reduction on the urine entering the pit toilets, thus reducing the impact on groundwater.
- Joseph Jenkins' Humanure Handbook site The classic guide to humanure composting. Jenkins uses the bucket system with an external compost area. It's quick and easy to set up, but requires more day to day management than the two designs presented above.
- "The Perfect Privy" Built-it-yourself guide in pdf format.
