Peepoo: To Stop the Flying Toilet & Help Developing Countries in Numerous Other Ways
March 22nd, 2012 by Zachary Shahan
OK, here’s one more quickie for World Water Day that I’ve been meaning to write about but just haven’t gotten to. It’s a novel Swedish invention that could helping developing countries in a whole host of ways.
In many developing countries, as you probably know, people still don’t have wastewater and sewage systems. As a result, people have to use the bushes, plastic bags, the railway tracks, etc. (Note: plastic bags full of pee and poop tossed into the street have acquired the name “flying toilets” — pleasant.) A Swedish company thinks it has a solution though, the Peepoo.
Here’s more from Science Daily:
Devised by a Swedish architect with the help of his students, it comprises a slim bag with a larger liner tucked inside, both made of biodegradable plasticand designed to fit over a small pot.
Inside the bag are a couple of spoonfuls of granulated urea, an ammonia that eliminates germs and other nasties within two to three weeks.
After use, the bag is knotted and taken to a dropoff point — where the family gets a small refund because the contents, after rotting, are sold for fertiliser.
Costing three euro cents (four US cents) each new, the bag is sold with its human waste for one euro cent (1.3 US cents).
“We are testing the business model in Kibera,” said Camilla Wirseen of the Swedish firm Peepoople AB, referring to a notorious slum of Nairobi.
Not only does it avoid the problems discussed above; it also seems to be reducing child rape (from when they go into the bushes to poop or pee) and within-family spreading of diarrhoea seems to be reduced.
“Production of the bags is currently 3,000 a day, but will ramp up to 500,000 a day from November to target markets in South Asia and elsewhere in Africa but also for stockpiling for disasters.”
For more innovative solutions to such water problems around the world, check out Science Daily‘s post, Small is good in quest to resolve water crisis.
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About the Author
Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.
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