W EEKLY EDITION JUNE 28, 2017
What's a Toilet Without Water?
It may just be the futuristic solution the world n eeds.
The country of Madagascar represents the interesting contrast often seen in the
developing world: while technologies such as cellphones are commonplace, the
average flush toilet is an absent luxury. Most Madagascar natives use outhouses, or a
struct ure that covers their pit latrine. Some villagers don't even have this advancement,
and instead use bushes or fields for open defecation.
These latrines are unsanitary, due to their smell and lack of cleanliness. They're also
dangerous, as small children often risk falling into the pits and literally drowning in
human waste. Yet the most pressing issue of all is the excess groundwater and the
country's torrential rains. During these rainfalls, "the waste from latrines rises and floats
into the yards, house s, shops, and streets." While this is a specific threat to one country,
the lack of sanitary restroom options is common in numerous areas across the globe.
This is precisely why "Loowatt, a London - based startup, " who received the Bill &
Melinda Gates Fou ndation's "Reinvent the Toilet Challenge" grant, " came up with a
radically different flushing solution – one that doesn't use water at all." The process works like this: "waste is sealed into a
biodegradable bag underneath the toilet." After the bag is com pletely filled, a service team replaces it and hand - delivers the
waste to Loo - watt's "pilot waste - processing facility, where it's converted to fertilizer and biogas."
While certainly not a glamorous process, the Loowatt toilet is an option that would rem ain stable in foul weather and that does
not rely on water to maintain its proficiency. The company is currently "working on introducing the concept to other countrie s."
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