Sanitary facilities
With Sun, Rain, and Worms: Kenya's Most Sustainable Toilet
Access to safe and hygienic toilets has been a human right since 2010. In the early years, our school only had the most basic pit latrines, whose description no one would want to read here. It was an inhumane situation for which we needed to find a solution. Our principle: sustainable approaches that might cost a bit more initially but are durable and require minimal maintenance in the long run. Accordingly, we first built rainwater tanks and a solar power system with battery storage.
Recycling Toilet Flush Water
For the sanitary facilities, this meant we had to minimize water consumption, so we needed to treat and reuse wastewater locally. We studied the relevant literature, exchanged ideas with a biologist from the Ecuadorian rainforest, and hired a local water technology student to oversee the work.
Worms Work Their Magic
The circumstances alone forced us to implement a radically sustainable solution: Keramik Laufen donated innovative toilets with urine separation. The urine from these seated toilets and urinals flows without flush water into a trench to nourish banana plants. The feces, on the other hand, are flushed with a small amount of water into a worm filter. In these containers, worms transform the feces into nutrient-rich compost daily. After a year of storage, this compost can be used to fertilize the newly established vegetable garden. The remaining liquids are pre-filtered and flow into a wetland. Here, the water is filtered with sand and reeds for a few days before being pumped back up, cleaned, and reused for toilet flushing.
Drinking Nipples Instead of Water Faucets
For the handwashing station, we rely on rainwater tanks. To reduce water consumption, we use drinking nipples designed for pigs: water only flows when they are touched. We were even able to implement showers: low water pressure and the use of bidet showerheads also minimize the consumption of precious water.
A Revelation
This solution requires no external resources like water or electricity connections, is cost-effective to maintain, and is environmentally friendly. After dealing with the dilapidated toilets of the past, both children and teachers now enjoy modern, hygienic, and safe sanitary facilities. They realize what is possible with the simplest of means. We hope that our concept can serve as a model for many facilities in the region.
Toilettenrundgang
Toilet tour
