Useful 'flying toilets'? Part 1

*This post is a revised version of the earlier post following the exchange in the comments below. 

Fig.1: Pooping in a bag in Kenya for a cleaner neighbourhood

The Peepoople website explains its purpose as to "build a sustainable sanitation system that will improve the health and living conditions for the residents in Kibera, create work opportunities for slum dwellers and contribute to food security". Using a sustainable sanitation model that is easily scalable means that it can be duplicated in urban slums throughout the world (Peepoople,2016). The concept is easy, direct and cheap. As seen in the above video, it is a simple device that does not require any infrastructure, installation or serious overhead costs, and seems to be well received. Why then, is Peepoo not more widespread across Africa?

Peepoos are described as toilet bags, which people can use to defecate or urinate in. These bags are tied up, then either dropped off at a convenient drop point, or like in the video, collected by employees of Peepoo. The employee in question refers to Miss Ruth Auma, who works for PeePeople in Kenya. Her job is to collect and drop off these bags every morning, which Peepoople describes as a type of micro-entrepreneurship service. The refund she receives after she drops off these bags is her payment (PeePoople, 2016).

Fig.2: The Peepoo system: packet containing a month's worth of bags and container to squat over (Redfield, 2018)

The bags are fully biodegradable, made of a mixture of aromatic copolyesters and polylactic acid with small additives of wax and lime, and consist of a double-layered sack of biodegradable plastic with a small pouch of urea inside (Fig. 2) (Redfield, 2018). It provides simple means to dispose of human waste, neutralize its pathogens and transform into fertilizer, all in one go (ibid). To use the bags, adults may prefer to place the bag in a readily available container, such as a tin can of 15cm diameter, and squatting over it or sitting on top (von Münch et. al, 2009), which is also seen as Miss Auma demonstrates.

One of its key selling points is the positive effect on dignity and provision of protection for women, children and elderly (Patel et. al,2011).  Females choose these bags because it was unsafe for them to be defecating either out in the open or at night, which might subject them to assault or abuse. These bags allowed them to be used anytime in the privacy of their home, without a big issue of odour as well (ibid). Children also find these easy to use as they could just place them in small containers and use them like a potty (von Münch et. al, 2009). As compared to the toilet shown in the video above, which were strife with worms, Peepoo bags are safe and easy to use, better than normal sanitation practices, and something users would recommend to others. It also saves time from queuing for toilets at the few public or pay toilets (ibid).

Another big advantage to the bags is its after-use as human fertiliser. After these bags are collected, they can be buried directly in the soil for use as a complete fertiliser with high nitrogen value (von Münch et. al, 2009). These work like a little 'micro-treatment plant', killing pathogens in faeces within 2-4 weeks via the toxicity of ammonia produced from the urea granules (ibid). They are stored in a temporary storage area where they are kept for 4-6 weeks, until fully sanitized and can be used as non-contamination fertiliser (Peepoople, 2016). 

Transforming excreta into a valuable commodity that greatly require improvements in food security reminds me of my previous post on Ecosan, which I personally regard as an important step towards closing a circle. Redfield (2018) describes this as 'eco-utopian', that it promises to close a circle even as it fulils a humanitarian ambition of satisfying a vital human need. Though this does carry a skeptical tone, he goes on to explain that if incorporated into a micro-enterprise of fertilizer production, might even offer possibilities for income and a modest means for economic development. Definitely with the creation of Peepoo bag collector roles like Miss Auma's, employability can be improved.

Results for Peepoo trials also demonstrate their viability as excreta disposal systems in emergencies, which have shown positive outcomes like reduction in flying toilets, open defecation and diarrhoea reports. The device is also environmentally friendly, as it does not require water and bags are biodegradable.

I particularly liked how Redfield described the product: "Intended as both a humanitarian good and a development device- a caring commodity that also promises improvement, and additionally recognize ecological concerns about human waste in urban settings." Though the product seems small and simple, it has the potential to change and improve sanitation situations across the region and even globally. That being said, with almost every invention, there are its drawbacks and repercussions. These will be covered in the next post where I explore the problems with Peepoo and why it has not made a bigger mark in improving sanitation that it should.