Ecological Sanitation

THIS PUBLICATION PUTS forward an alternative sanitation called “ecological sanitation” (eco-san). It is based on an ecosystem approach and treats human urine and faeces as a valuable resource to be recycled. It further shows that ecological sanitation is already underway around the world, mostly in rural areas and small communities, and argues that what is needed now is the development of large-scale applications of the ecological sanitation concept in urban areas in both the North and the South. It is not intended to be a technical or policy manual, although it does deal with technical and policy issues, and is more a down to earth discussion of the options available. As the authors point out, the book seeks to achieve three things. First, it relates sanitation devices to sanitation as a system, critically examining the advantages and shortcomings of various sanitation technologies under different physical and cultural technologies. Second, it systemizes experience from different parts of the world into a single coherent approach that meets eco-san standards. By unearthing underlying common principles, the book provides a new conceptual framework for many scattered sanitation initiatives. Third, it describes how to proceed with such systems and what to consider when developing and implementing eco-san approaches. It is a book intended for a wide range of people: from municipal authorities, community groups, international institutions, private entrepreneurs and scholars, engineers and practitioners.

In the Introduction, present problems surrounding depletion of resources and sanitation are discussed with regard to human health and disease, and present practices are outlined, as are their weaknesses in relation to sustainability. The aim of this book is to seek entirely new solutions to sanitation approaches, namely “sanitize and recycle”, and the authors explain the criteria through which they have formulated their ideas, namely disease prevention, environment protection, return of nutrients, acceptability, affordability and simplicity. Chapter 2, Sanitize and Recycle, discusses the relationships between sanitation and disease, and various means of pathogen destruction. The conclusion is that dry methods, especially those based on dehydration, seem to kill pathogens more effectively than other commonly used methods. Chapter 3, Ancient Practices and New Ideas, aims to clarify what eco-san might look like in practice, and demonstrates the adaptability of the concept. A number of examples are presented, both ancient and modern, all of which have great potential for disease prevention, protecting the environment and conserving water. The examples are organized according to the main process used to achieve pathogen destruction, i.e. dehydration or decomposition. In Chapter 4, the design and management features of ecological sanitation systems are described so that mistakes can be avoided, and promotion and support strategies that have proved to be essential to the proper functioning of these systems are suggested. In conclusion, Chapter 5, A Vision for the Future, puts forward the authors’ vision for ecological sanitation in a large-scale context, i.e. how eco-san could work in towns and cities, and in what political climate it could function successfully. A summary of the advantages of ecological sanitation for the environment, households and families, and municipalities is given. Case studies are included throughout the book, and comprehensive and detailed diagrams serve to illustrate particular systems and their cycles.