Sanitation Portal

This portal describes sanitation technologies which can be applied from the household level to the village level.

A complete sanitation system does not consist of only one technology, but rather a chain of technologies, each taking care of a specific function, such as the toilet, transportation, and treatment. Each technology below is dedicated to one particular function in this chain. An example is given at the end of this page.

For a helpful sourcebook in the training of professionals for the sanitation and water sector, browse or download the set of animated PowerPoints called Sustainable Sanitation, by clicking the pink box on the right.

Below, sanitation technologies are presented in different functional groups: User interface (Toilets, urinals, handwashing), Collection and Storage / Local Treatment, Conveyance, (semi-) Centralized Treatment, and Use of products / disposal.

Toilet Facilities	Collection and Storage / Local Treatment	Conveyance	(Semi-) Centralized Treatment	Use of Products / Disposal
Dry Toilet Urine Diverting Dry Toilet Urinal Pour Flush Toilet Cistern Flush Toilet Urine Diverting Flush Toilet Hygiene - Tippy Tap	Storage tanks Single Pit Single Ventilated Improved Pit Double Ventilated Improved Pit Fossa Alterna Twin Pits for Pour Flush Dehydration Vaults Composting Chamber Septic Tank Anaerobic Baffled Reactor Anaerobic Filter Anaerobic Biogas Reactor	Jerrycan - tank Human-Powered Emptying and Transport Motorized Emptying and Transport Simplified Sewers Solids-free Sewer Conventional Gravity Sewer Transfer Station - Underground Holding Tank Sewer Discharge Station	semi centralised Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (semi-) centralised Anaerobic Filter Waste Stabilization Pond Aerated Pond Free-Water Surface Constructed Wetland Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetland Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland Trickling Filter Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor Activated Sludge Sedimentation - Thickening Ponds Unplanted Drying Beds Planted Drying Beds Co-composting Anaerobic Biogas Reactor Struvite recovery	Fill and Cover - Arborloo Application of Urine Application of Dehydrated Faeces Application of Compost - Eco-Humus Biogas for energy Irrigation Soak Pit Leach Field Aquaculture Ponds Floating Plant (Macrophyte) Pond Water Disposal - Groundwater Recharge Land Application of Sludge Surface Disposal

Sanitation systems

Example...

This is a complete sanitation system, which consists of a chain of technologies. Reading the icons in the illustration below from the left to the right we have a Urine Diverting Dry Toilet connecting to Storage tanks, where the faeces are taken away through Human-Powered Emptying and Transport to be processed through Co-composting and then finally be used through Application of Compost - Eco-Humus and the Application of Urine.

The table below lists eight different examples of sanitation systems, going from very simple to more complex. Of course, many other systems are possible, depending on the local context.

1 Single Pit System

2 Waterless System with Alternating Pits

3 Pour Flush System with Twin Pits

4 Waterless System with Urine Diversion

5 Blackwater Treatment System with Infiltration

6 Blackwater Treatment System with Sewerage

7 (Semi-) Centralized Treatment System

8 Sewerage System with Urine Diversion

Acknowledgements

• The majority of the material in this portal was adapted from: Tilley, E. et al. (2008). Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies. Eawag: The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.

• Currently, WASTE is working on a Sanitation Decision Support tool, which will be integrated in this portal in the near future.

• Smart Sanitation Solutions produced in collaboration with Netherlands Water Partnership, WASTE, PRACTICA, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, SIMAWI and Partners voor Water