Urban Sanitation Solutions

As previously discussed, urban slums in Africa are burdened with poor governance that undermines the delivery of key sanitation services. This week I aim to discuss some of the proposed solutions that circumvent the inertia of current strategies, whilst simultaneously creating economic opportunity for the urban population.  


The PeePoo: 
The PeePoo is a self-sanitising, single-use, biodegradable personal toilet. It is essentially a bag containing urea, which then sanitises faeces from dangerous viruses and parasites. It is odour free for 12-48 hours, making it a dignified solution to use and store in the privacy of the home, avoiding the social problems associated with shared sanitation facilities (SSFs) such as the safety of women. 

By eliminating the need for built infrastructures, water resources and space, the small bag is well suited for the urban slum environment. They are also relatively accessible with the average cost for PeePoo in the urban slum of Kibera being 10USD per person per year. 

Figure 1: The PeePoo process Source: PeePoople 



Developed by the Peepeople company, the PeePoo is sold and distributed by local micro-entreprenuer sales-women, involving women in the labour force and contributing to gender development through economic empowerment. 


So..my verdict? 
Thus, the PeePoo delivers community benefits by tackling some of main urban issues including space and water availability, accessibility for women and hygiene. It is also a much more environmentally friendly alternative to some of the traditional methods of sanitation as the biodegradable bags can be used as nitrogen-rich fertiliser after use. 

However, the PeePoo necessitates community interest and involvement which is not guranateed. Mass production would reduce user cost, but this cannot occur without demand as the biodegradable material deteriorates after 2 years in storage. Furthermore, it requires proper and reliable collection and disposal to ensure that the bags don't accumulate in backyards. In my opinion, the PeePoo is likely to be adopted by those who already use plastic receptacles (flying toilets) but more generally in co-existence with other WASH technologies. It provides people (especially girls and women), with safe and dignified sanitation and perhaps can be used as a last minute resource during the night where SSFs are considered dangerous. 

SANERGY Fresh Life Toilets
Partially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Sanergy have built a dense network of low-cost, high quality waterless toilets (aka Fresh Life Toilets) that are franchised to individuals who run them as businesses in their communities. These local entrepreneurs purchase a toilet and become responsible for cleaning the toilet, building a customer base, sales and marketing of the facilities etc. 

Figure 2: Fresh Life Toilet Source: EngineeringForChange



The main advantage is that they do not require connections to water or sewage infrastructures - making them easier to place in the densely populated slums. However, their potential downfall lies in the accessibility of them as exemplified in the context of Village 4A, Mathare.

Two Sanergy Fresh Life toilets were constructed in a primary school with the installation of the toilets paid by a benefactor. However, the school were struggling to meet the annual service fee of them as the majority of children do not pay school fees. 

This highlights the challenge of turning public health needs into marketable demands. Although it provides opportune for some individuals, for others it simply capitalises and makes inaccessible a basic human right. 








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