Project Details
Description
What is a composting-waterless toilet?
It is a human water management system that does not use water. It is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional flushing toilets.
Before embarking on this project, we reflected deeply on the reasons for designing this specific type of toilet. In our research phase, we found many companies that have designed simple and efficient waterless toilets. As a small design team, we discovered that innovating a product that has been designed for so long would be really challenging; thus, we decided to focus on Design for Impact, specifically on sanitation issues in communities displaced by the climate crisis, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises; and especially in rural China, where we did deep research on how people use and build toilets in remote and poor areas.
Why a squatting toilet?
Around four billion people use squat toilets, including most of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.
It is a human water management system that does not use water. It is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional flushing toilets.
Before embarking on this project, we reflected deeply on the reasons for designing this specific type of toilet. In our research phase, we found many companies that have designed simple and efficient waterless toilets. As a small design team, we discovered that innovating a product that has been designed for so long would be really challenging; thus, we decided to focus on Design for Impact, specifically on sanitation issues in communities displaced by the climate crisis, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises; and especially in rural China, where we did deep research on how people use and build toilets in remote and poor areas.
Why a squatting toilet?
Around four billion people use squat toilets, including most of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.
Key findings
We aimed to design a waterless toilet for the elderly and less able people.
Our design brings several solutions for these users; it is a walk-in and walk-out platform; thus, the user does not need to turn around to squat. It has railings to access the platform and to hold while squatting to lie down and stand up.
The flushing system (that contains the fine wood shavings to cover the human waste) has three functions when pulling the handle: It opens the toilet lid, places the wooden chips inside, and also makes the collecting bucket rotate, allowing more wood shavings to be inside, and helping minimise the times that it needs to be emptied. We have been very careful in applying the same principles as the toilets produced by our sponsor, Biolan, to ensure that this design could be mass-produced with the same materials and techniques they currently use. In essence, this is a social innovation project that we hope can be produced and disseminated in places that need a simple and effective solution that can bring safety and comfort to elderly and less able people.
Our design brings several solutions for these users; it is a walk-in and walk-out platform; thus, the user does not need to turn around to squat. It has railings to access the platform and to hold while squatting to lie down and stand up.
The flushing system (that contains the fine wood shavings to cover the human waste) has three functions when pulling the handle: It opens the toilet lid, places the wooden chips inside, and also makes the collecting bucket rotate, allowing more wood shavings to be inside, and helping minimise the times that it needs to be emptied. We have been very careful in applying the same principles as the toilets produced by our sponsor, Biolan, to ensure that this design could be mass-produced with the same materials and techniques they currently use. In essence, this is a social innovation project that we hope can be produced and disseminated in places that need a simple and effective solution that can bring safety and comfort to elderly and less able people.
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 9/01/23 → … |
Collaborative partners
- Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (lead)
- BIOLAN (www.biolan.net.cn)
Keywords
- toilet, waterless, rural, refugee, earthquake, mechanisms
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