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Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities - constructing a compost toilet in Nigeria

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  • Elisabeth
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  • Freelance consultant since 2012 (former roles: program manager at GIZ and SuSanA secretariat, lecturer, process engineer for wastewater treatment plants)
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

Ross wrote:

I do believe that a lot of the opposition to UD Pedestals comes from cultural differences as it is difficult to make a squat pan function to divert urine.


I don't think this is true. There are plenty of urine diversion squatting toilets installed and functioning, for example in India.
Many of the discussion threads here deal with urine diversion squatting toilets:
forum.susana.org/uddts-for-particular-si...iverting-dry-toilets

For example, see this thread:
5000 UDDT toilets in India (GroSan by NGO Sanitation First)
forum.susana.org/170-shared-toilets-comm...ngo-sanitation-first

But I agree that you need to make a careful assessment whether a urine diversion system is likely to work in a given context or not. It does have a number of advantages but many people are put off by the higher requirements for user cooperation.

Regards,
Elisabeth
Dr. Elisabeth von Muench
Freelance consultant on environmental and climate projects
Located in Ulm, Germany
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  • Elisabeth
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

Dear Alisa,

Thanks for your forum post. Would it be possible to share your information directly here rather than circulating it by e-mail? Or is there a confidentiality issue? I am just wondering. You had written:

We specialize in container-based toilet systems ( and compost the excreta), and Fosa Alterna systems. If you pm me your email, I can send you some documents.


In general, I try to keep as much of the conversation online in the open area and not move to separate e-mail discussions unless it's necessary for some reason.

By the way, for everyone's information: You don't need to ask for other's e-mail addresses but can just contact anyone by using the contact button to the left of their post (visible when you are logged in). This is an internal messaging service for the forum users.

Kind regards,
Elisabeth
Dr. Elisabeth von Muench
Freelance consultant on environmental and climate projects
Located in Ulm, Germany
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
My Wikipedia user profile: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:EMsmile
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elisabethvonmuench/
  • Uc
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

Thanks alot for you response.

Please find attached my email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Uc
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

Thanks alot for your response. I will let you know how it goes.
  • Uc
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

Thanks alot for your mail.

Wea are looking to construct a compost toilet which is like an intervententio to ened open defecation in Nigeria. At first we considered the UDdT, but its not only expensive but complicated to use. Now we are opting on cheap and affordable compost system and we are looking into the Thermophilic compost system.
Please tell me what you think.
  • Uc
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

Hi Gabriel,
Thanks for your response.
I will send you a mail now from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Slarrouy
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

thanks Marco I will have a look
currently working on a project of dry sanitation in Nigeria
  • marcoforster
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

In october 2017, there is a forum session about "Evapotranspiration Toilet with a difference from India" including some references from Brazil and a study from India (English, attached).
Regards, Marco, www.ecopsis.com

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  • Slarrouy
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

thanks I do that
currently working on a project of dry sanitation in Nigeria
  • AKSantaCruz
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

Can you tell us more about what kind of "compost toilet" you plan to build? We specialize in container-based toilet systems ( and compost the excreta), and Fosa Alterna systems. If you pm me your email, I can send you some documents.
Program Director, GiveLove.org — EcoSan Training Program
  • bowenarrow
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

Good question. I have been manufacturing Composting Toilets here in Australia for over 30 years and all my own designs are Urine Diverting and cannot understand why some of my Industry Clients still ask for dry suitable Pedestals. All of the feedback I have had from direct purchasers supports UD Pedestals. On the other hand some owners have come to me for replacement Pedestals of UD design simply because of poor performance of "mixed" systems. It costs no more to have a UD pedestal made than a straight through, and this applies to handmade concrete or Fibreglass.
I do believe that a lot of the opposition to UD Pedestals comes from cultural differences as it is difficult to make a squat pan function to divert urine. A standard sitting pedestal is around 460mm high from the floor and this height is sufficient to allow the fall of Urine to an outside gravel trench, or collection for use as a valuable fertilizer.
A further advantage is that a UD system will not smell as much and will not attract as many nuisance flies. There is less volume of waste to deal with and therefore the turnaround of pits is lengthened. Some estimates I have read place the volume of Urine to solids as 80% so this is a whacking great chunk of your latrines capacity devoted to liquid. There will always be some liquid in a UD Toilet from cleaning etc, so pump outs should not be any more difficult without Urine. Then there is the question of carriage of pathogens by a mixed system.

Ross
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  • Slarrouy
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Re: Less Expensive Sanitation Facilities

Thank you Elisabeth,
the difficulty that we encounter is try to decide if we start the project with UDDT or without urine separation. I read the SuSana case studies booklet. Almost all of the cases are UDDT construction. It will be more expensive to build and more complicated to use. Why are UDDT systems preferred than simple compost system ?
currently working on a project of dry sanitation in Nigeria
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