For a lot of us, the flush toilet is all that we have ever known. When we flush, it seems as if our excrement is pretty much out of lives – but even though it is gone from sight and mind, this toxic sludge is unfortunately still hanging around; travelling through pipes to be dealt with in huge chemical sewerage treatments systems that are said to be under strain and even leaking their toxicity into our local wetlands and the sea.
In a time where society’s focus has shifted to that of sustainability and environmental-conscientiousness, there are many reasons why the flushing toilet no longer makes sense. The tons of fresh water needed seems a waste considering Africa is one of the driest countries in the world, and by mixing excrement with water means we have at least double the amount of waste to neutralise. The infrastructure needed to implement this kind of toilet system is extensive and expensive too.
Although this subject is quite obviously not a pleasant one, if we really want to create a better future for our earth we need to start exploring other, more viable toilet systems – ones that don’t use as much precious resources, can be easily installed into our own homes and that don´t smell!
Simple efforts include installing dual system toilets or other technologies to reduce the amount of water used per flush. Even just not flushing as often – using the ‘if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down’ principle – seems a shift in the right direction. But there is a rising international awareness that believes what is now needed is a green, cheap and effective toilet alternative.
Last year the Bill and Meredith Gates Foundation announced their ‘Reinvent the Toilet’ challenge, where they asked a number of universities around the world to come up with a solution to the present unsustainable toilet model. In his bestselling book ‘The Humanure Handbook’, America’s Joseph Jenkins expresses the idea that we need to start viewing our excrement as a resource. Every year for ten years now, The World Toilet and Summit Expo exhibits bizarre inventions in an attempt to eliminate the toilet taboo and show that sustainable sanitation is possible.
There are theories that methane (a natural gas) can be collected from human excrement. Some even claim that with the right management our waste can produce hydrogen. Whatever the case, many smart people all around the world are busy putting their heads together to figure out an effective way we can replace the flush system in everybody’s bathrooms.
Derek Gripper our very own local ‘Humanure’ expert, says it’s about closing the loop. ‘We are terrified culturally of our excrement,’ says Derek, ‘But we need to realise the water is not our rubbish bin. With certain composting techniques, human excrement can be used safely on a vegetable garden within 12 months.’
In nature, animals release themselves onto the soil where they stand and this in turn helps it to become more fertile for the plants that grow there. Some of us even use horse and cow manure on our gardens! Perhaps the first step towards a better toilet system is a change in attitude, to start seeing our excrement as something that is natural: not simply a disgusting necessity, but maybe an important link in the chain of life’s natural cycles?
To find out more about these compost toilets Derek is selling, check out his website.
