Arguments For The Use of Ecological Sanitation
Often, water used in flush toilets is of drinking quality. Only 1% of global water is drinkable, therefore, it is a precious resource (for an insight see ). Water fit to drink is being used for other purposes that can use lesser quality water, such as toilets. But if we used the water in toilets to help with the bad water, many lives would be saved.
Mixing feces and urine makes treatment difficult. All waste water treatment plants use some natural/biological processes, but nature does not normally have this waste water, so there are no microbes that can deal with this mix. In order to treat waste, treatment plants have to do this in stages. Each stage treats a different component of the mix by creating the right environment for microbes to do their work (aerobic, anaerobic, anoxic and the right pH). This is costly and requires energy.
A mix of domestic and industrial effluent in water cannot be treated properly, for heavy metals and other pollutants make this water unsuitable for reuse. This is normally discharged into the ground or water bodies.
Because of the complexity of the treatment process, treatment plants tend to be large. This requires costly infrastructure to build and maintain it, often out of the reach of poorer communities.
A major consideration in low-lying geographies is pollution of ground water by traditional pit-latrines. In many areas where the water table is high, pit latrines directly pollute the water table, potentially affecting the large numbers of people. Eco-san toilets, especially dry compost toilets, ensure that the excreta or urine does not reach the water table.
John Jeavons states that responsible, safe and legal composting of human waste could be key to maintaining nutrient levels in the world soils.
Urea is the major component of urine, yet we produce vast quantities of urea by using fossil fuels. By properly managing urine, treatment costs as well as fertilizer costs can be reduced. Feces also contains recognized nutrients, and could be used for modern agriculture, as micronutrient deficiency is a significant problem.
Read more about this topic: Ecological Sanitation
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