Eco lo g i c a l To i l e t s 135
Improved and adapted dry toilets
The toilets in this book are only some of the choices for ecological sanitation.
They can be improved and adapted to meet the needs of different communities.
Some things that will make a dry toilet work better are:
• Heat from the sun will help the
waste decompose. Build the toilet
so the chamber doors face the sun,
and paint the door panels black.
This will make the chambers heat
up, improve air flow, and kill germs
faster.
• More air flow will also help the waste
decompose. Laying bamboo, corn stalks,
branches, or other dry plant matter inside on
the bottom of the chamber before use will help
air flow through the feces for faster drying.
A wash toilet with plant bed
People in India have adapted the dry toilet to let
both urine and wash water drain into a plant bed.
Ash bucket
Washing is done
over a hole that
drains into the
plant bed.
Wash water
Feces hole
Urine hole
The plant bed where the wash
water and urine go is filled with
sand and gravel and planted
with reeds or other local, non-
edible plants. When the plants
grow too big, they are cut back
and thrown into the toilet.
The chambers under the toilet are lined with straw before
use, to absorb moisture and make a good bed for the
compost. Every time it is used, 1 or 2 handfuls of soil or ash
are thrown in. Every now and then, some dry plant matter
is added to help the material dry and decompose. After one
year of use, the first chamber is opened and the material is
put in a compost pile or into the soil for planting.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012