ecosan waterless toilet - product information

What is a waterless / water free toilet system?

A sanitation system that does not require any water to function. Not only does it save on water use, but it is entirely isolated from the surrounding environment and cannot contaminate underground water resources.

How can sanitation work without water ?

The system utilises a natural biological process to break down human waste into a dehydrated odourless compost-like material.

How does it work ?

We receive many questions about the toilets, of which " How does it work " is the most frequently asked . The following is a brief description of the ECOSAN toilet concept as well as it's main features.

The human excrement falls down a vertical chute (2) and into one end of a specially designed helical screw conveyor (3). Every time the toilet lid (1) is lifted, a mechanism rotates the conveyor. With each rotation the human excrement slowly moves along, taking approximately twenty five days before falling into a reusable collection bag (4). It takes six months for the bag to fill with dry and odourless waste.

Through the uniquely designed ventilation pipe (5), adequate airflow is provided for the dehydration / evaporation, deodorising process. Human excrement consists of roughly 95% moisture. As the solids dry in the conveyer the urine and moisture is vented into the atmosphere. The solid waste then dries into a compost-like material, roughly 5 - 10% of it's original mass.

The dry waste is manageable and can be processed in the following ways.

Use it in the making of compost
Dispose of it by using municipal waste services
Use it as a source of fuel

Large objects like beverage cans, disposable nappies or other objects accidentally dropped down the chute will not block the system, It is however not advisable to do this

Features

No plumbing required
No drains
No pipes
Waterfree
Low odour levels
Chemical free
Relatively light and easy to install

Product extras

Toilet hut ( optional )

When a toilet is to be installed outside a home, we can supply a toilet hut that has been designed especially for the ECOSAN toilet system. The toilet can however be installed using any toilet hut structure.

Urinal ( Standard )

Each toilet comes standard with a urinal which is wall mountable either in a existing home or inside a toilet hut.

Other models

Asian model

This version was developed for countries where toilets differ from the toilets used in other countries. In place of the traditional european type toilet bowl this model has a seat on floor level. Otherwise the basic workings of the toilet is exactly the same as our other toilets.

Mining and other high volume usage units.

As a variation on the home model designed for normal use, a special modification was made to accomodate installations where there is a high frequency of use of toilets. This model uses a drum instead of a bag for waste collection. The unit is therefore not a completely dry system and also means that the drum needs to be emptied on a regular basis. This unit is ideally suited for places where the installation of sewerage pipes are difficult, for instance underground mines or very busy public places.