Many countries do not have comprehensive sewer systems, and this leaves a significant proportion of people who must rely on on-site sanitation. On-site sanitation can include everything from simple pit latrines to septic tanks, and treatment options range from nonexistent to advanced. While data is available for centralized wastewater treatment of sewage, large gaps remain in monitoring the safe management of faecal sludge from on-site sanitation services. This is an important barrier to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6.2, which calls for universal access to safely managed sanitation and the elimination of open defecation by 2030. URL :millerportables.com
On-Site Sanitation Solutions Explained
A key problem is the use of misleading terminology, which leads to errors in categorization and hinders progress toward sanitation service provision. Binary classifications such as “offsite/onsite” and “sewered/nonsewered” miss the reality that human excreta must be collected in order to avoid odour, fly breeding and health risks from pathogens.
A new and more accurate set of terms is needed, allowing for the development of more sophisticated technologies and the promotion of a circular economy. In this Feature, the authors present new terminology for collection and conveyance that includes all aspects of a sanitation service: on-site storage and faecal sludge treatment (e.g. septic tanks with leach fields, improved pit latrines or dry toilets) and off-site transport to treatment plants. These are complemented by on-site emptying and removal strategies such as burying, and rapid off-site treatments with low energy costs that focus on pathogen reduction or dehydration (e.g. lime or dry composting) and faecal sludge re-use with options such as anaerobic baffled reactors.
Miller Portables
2680 Co Rd 168, Dundee, OH 44624, United States
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