Hei Simon,

the world is small, you are definitely right. I am really impressed: to move from IT to sanitation is not a usual career development!

8 MB is much better - although I doubt our colleagues with slow access are able to open it.
We have our own Flickr collection on composting toilets: www.flickr.com/photos/gtzecosan/sets/72157626538185194/
(Moreover, there is a composting toilet included using a similar principal as yours. Ecodomeo - a French company.)
But I am missing a household one in there. I don't want to simply use foreign Flickr pictures, as I want to make sure that toilets are REALLY in use and it's not just a "propaganda picture" of a toilet which stopped running years ago.

Good luck for the Mexican production - and keep us informed how it goes.

Yours, Martina.

Hi Martina,

It is a small world. I use to work as a computer programmer in Eschborn, Germany many years ago.

Good point about the PDF. Here is an optimized version at 8MB:

www.aguayuda.org/Uploads/Tesis_Final_Bano_seco_optimized.pdf

It really is one of the best designs I have ever seen. We would like to test them out in the field. They may look good on paper, but they need to be tested out in a community. I am curious to see how well they work. Of course, this will need to be accompanied with education. The Mexicans said they want to start producing in January but I have not heard from them in awhile.

As for any household composting toilets, I don't have any photos. This is a new topic for our organization. As soon as we have some, you definitely can use them.

Good day!

Best regards,

Simon
p.s.
Did you try flickr?

Dear Simon,

thanks for sharing your experience. The composting toilets look really great. It looks like an experience, we made as well: you really need a designer to get a nice looking proudct.

Two questions/remarks from my side:
The first link (the Spanish one) you posted is about 88 MB. It's way too large for downloading. Could you provide the information in a smaller file size as well?

Moreover, I am right now occupied with finalising your technology review of composting toilets (for details see here: www.susana.org/lang-en/library?view=ccbktypeitem&type=2&id=878). I am looking for some pictures showing household composting toilets not newly built but already in use for a couple of years which are well-designed and accepted by the users. Could you provide me some pictures or know some projects?

Yours, Martina.

Hello,

I figured it out. Page 50 and 74 of the manual regarding the composting latrine we like so much also explains how a urinal is not needed because you can urinate standing up. This toilet is ingenious. Wow! Now if I can only get a hold of the designers. That is a bit more difficult right now than I first thought.

Simon

Hello Elisabeth,

Thanks for replying to the question and the links. Yes, I am familiar with the typical chamber style composting latrines. The problem is these toilets are expensive to build. In Colombia we are receiving quotes of ~US$2,000 to US$2,500 per toilet. That is a lot of money for one toilet.

We like the composting latrine that the Mexicans use because it only costs $500 (could be made cheaper) and it comes with a mini-chamber built in. A structure (walls and roof) is still required but this could be built with a simple local materials like wood or bamboo.

It seems like everyone uses a simple urinal connected to a pipe which then leads to a container or the ground (gravel pit). That makes sense. I was just thinking that an organization or company had a more complete solution which is not so expensive. But I guess the solution is to buy from different companies and combine the urinal and composting latrine.

Thanks again for your input.

Simon

Dear Simon,
Welcome to this forum!
I would like to help but don't fully understand your question.
Are you talking about UDDTs or composting toilets here?

If UDDTs, then have a look at the bench UDDTs from Rotaria in Peru for example (lots of Spanish materials which should be helpful for you), see e.g.:
www.susana.org/library?search=rotaria

But if you mean composting toilets, then have a look at this photo set which shows various types of composting toilets (many of them from Europe):
www.flickr.com/photos/gtzecosan/sets/72157626538185194/

If you clarify your question we can answer better?
Cheers,
Elisabeth

Hi Dorothee,

Thank you for adding this question to the forum. I appreciate your support in this very important topic.

Unfortunatley, it seems like the link to the toilet we are refering to is down.

Here is information in Spanish on the toilet from Mexico that we like:
www.aguayuda.org/Uploads/Tesis_Final_Bano_seco.zip

Here is information in English:
www.aguayuda.org/Uploads/Waterless_toile...eral_information.zip

I look forward to the responses and would be happy to answer any questions.

Best regards,

Simon
Co-founder of Aguayuda
www.aguayuda.org

I have been exchanging emails with organisation (Aquayuda; www.aguayuda.org/) form Easton, Maryland USA which are using the SSWM Toolbox. They are implementing UDDTs and Composting latrines in South America (mainly Colombia).
They are currently working with a mexican design, which won a price ( looks high-tech and luxurious but it is quite simple (no electricity and chamber required) to use and quite affordable at $500 - timetocare.victorinox.com/en/nc/vote-win/waterless-toilet.html.
They are planning to include a urinal in the design to make it more user-friendly and are looking for an organisation (company or non-profit) that has a good design with good results, which incorporates a composting latrine and a urinal. They have seen examples of the typical composting latrine with the concrete chambers but they are quite expensive and often times the people do not like them:
"Part of the problem is that the typical composting latrine looks very primitive, space constraining and uninviting. This is why we like the Mexican design so much because it actually looks like a composting latrine that people want to use. This is a big advantage. The only part missing is a urinal."

Please post here (they will make an account) - if you have any contact for them!
(You can also contact me and I will give you their email)

All the best – Dorothee