Ecosan Toilets: Meaning, History, Functions, & Benefits

We all must have at least come across the term ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan” or “Nirmal Gram Yojana”. Both the government schemes are essentially aimed towards the elimination of open defecation and proper management of solid wastes. The concept of Ecosan toilets does sound a little odd,  but it is interesting to know how scientific knowledge, its application, and a little innovation can resolve sanitation problems easily.

Ecosan toilet is one such concept where human excreta is not looked at as waste material, but it is considered an important resource to act as fertilisers for agriculture fields. In this article, we will provide detailed information on Ecosan toilets. Scroll down to read more!

What is Ecological Sanitation?

The word ‘ecosan’ comes from ecological sanitation. Ecological sanitation is an approach rather than a device or technology. This approach sees human excreta as a valuable resource and not as a waste product. It recycles human excreta and uses natural processes to transform it into a safe, natural compost and fertilizer. The approach minimizes the use of non-renewable resources.

Ecosan toilets is a system that provides a hygienically safe system to convert human excreta into nutrients to be returned to the soil and water to be returned to the land. Ecosan is also referred to as resource-oriented sanitation or sustainable sanitation.

History of Ecosan Toilets

1. The use of urine and faeces in the dry sanitation system has been known to people in almost all cultures.
2. Romans used ammonia in urine for bleaching purposes.
3. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) took the initiative and funded the research programs for sustainable sanitation from 1993 to 2001.
4. The German government enterprise GIZ also had a large “ecosan program” from 2001 to 2012
5. Guidelines on the Use of Urine and Faeces in Crop Production by Swedish scientists Hakan Jönsson and his team became a milestone and were incorporated into WHO guidelines in 2006.
6. Dr Peter Morgan of Zimbabwe is considered the inventor in sanitation and received Stockholm Water Prize for his work in improved water and sanitation technologies in Sept 2013.
7. Ecosan toilets are being widely used and promoted in rural India.

How does an Ecosan System Function?

Ecosan toilet is a closed system of toilets that do not need water. Therefore, it is an alternative to the traditional sanitation systems in vulnerable places like places with water scarcity or places with high water tables where the risk of water contamination is very high. The toilet is based on the principle of recovery and recycling of nutrients from excreta to create a valuable resource for agriculture. 

i. In ecosan toilets, urine and excreta are collected and disposed off separately.
ii. Ecosan toilets do not use water for flushing.

Technology Used in Ecosan Toilets

The most common technology used in Ecosan toilets is the urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDTs). In this technology, urine and faeces are collected separately, without any flush water. The urine is used as liquid-rich fertilizer, and dry faeces are converted into compost and used in agriculture as manure. Usage of other technologies such as vacuum toilets coupled with biogas plants, constructed wetlands, composting toilets and so forth is also common. 

Construction of Ecosan Toilets

i. Constructed above the ground and does not have below ground beds.
ii. The bottom of the toilet is a concrete slab.
iii. Two disposal chambers with squatting platforms are built on this slab.
iv. The Toilet room is built above the two chambers.
v. Ecopans are fitted instead of normal pans.
vi. The ecopan has three parts: The shallow part in the front: For urine collection, the drop hole in the middle for excreta and the shallow part in the rear for self-cleansing.
vii. The pipe under the floor collects and carries the urine from the shallow urine bowl in front to the urine pot buried under the ground outside the room.
viii. The user drops the excreta in the middle hole, shifts back, sprinkles one or two handfuls of ash, lime, sawdust or sand into the hole, and covers it.
ix. Ash, lime, sand or sawdust absorbs the water in the excreta and enhances the decomposition process and converts sludge into compost.
x. They also prevent flies and the foul smell.
xi. Then the user does anal cleaning.
xii. A separate pipe carries and collects the wash water into a small filter bed fitted outside the room where salt absorbing plants are grown.
xiii. At a time, a family uses only one chamber. This chamber gets filled in about a year and is sealed.
xiv. Now the second chamber comes into use.
xv. About 12-15 months later, the wall in the backside of the first chamber is removed, and the manure is taken out.
xvi. The pit is now ready to use.
xvii. Precaution to be taken to not spill the water used for cleansing into the excreta chamber.

How is Ecosan Beneficial?

1. Ecosan is sustainable and designed to last for decades. 
2. Nutrients are recycled and reused instead of wasting them. It is a closed-loop circuit approach.
3. Ecosan prevents waste from polluting the environment.
4. It reduces the need for sewage treatment plants.
5. Ecosan toilets provide an excellent alternative in the areas of rocky mountains and high water table areas as opposed to conventional approaches.
6. Ecosan toilets can be built anywhere, and they are affordable to the mass public.
7. Ecosan saves water and electricity as there is no need to flush and no need for sewage treatment.
8. Ecosan breaks down the pathogen in the faeces and thus minimizes the risk of introducing pathogens into water or soil.
9. Ecosan compost improves soil fertility and thus makes us less dependent on chemical fertilizers.
10. Ecosan allows the urine to be used as an extremely useful liquid fertilizer as it contains urea.
11. It is also a good source of phosphorus essential for plant growth.
12. Ecosan toilets reduce the demand of irrigation water as they use urine as liquid fertilizer.  Also, the use of organic manure takes less water for irrigation.

Challenges for Ecosan Toilets

The Ecosan system focuses on the reuse and recycling of nutrients for agriculture. It is considered a sustainable alternative in most scenarios. The ecosan toilets face certain challenges as:

1. It can be unsustainable if it has too little user acceptance and the cost of construction not affordable to the target group of users.
2. Ecosan toilets focus more on nutrient cycling than on public health benefits.
3. Pathogen destruction during the process of composting in ecosan toilets has been questioned by many.

Summary

Ecosan toilets can be described as a system that offers hygienically safe system to convert human waste into nutrients that are returned to the soil and water to be returned to the land. It is also referred to as sustainable sanitation or resource-oriented sanitation. The ecosan toilets are currently used in parts of Gujarat, Karnataka, and Kerala. Apart from that, an NGO in Rajasthan is promoting the construction and uses of sustainable sanitation.

Ecosan toilets have various benefits. One of the benefits is that it can be built anywhere and they are accessible and affordable to the public. It saves water and electricity as there is no need of flushing or sewage treatment. However, many people have questioned the bacterial destruction during the process of composting in ecosan toilets.

FAQs on Ecosan Toilets

Q.1. What is an Ecosan Toilet?
Ans: Ecosan Toilet is an alternative to normal flush and clean toilets. It is an ecological sanitation system that allows the safe recycling of nutrients to agriculture such that the use of non-renewable resources is minimized.

Q.2. Where are Ecosan Toilets found?
Ans: Ecosan toilets are constructed in rocky mountain regions where construction by digging is not possible. They are also constructed in areas of the high water table, and conventional pit latrines post the high risk of water contamination.

Q.3. What is the major function of Ecosan Toilets?
Ans: Ecosan Toilets, as the concept tells us, focus on:
1. Collection of urine and faeces separately.
2. Composting dry faeces and converting them into organic manure.
3. Usage of charcoal filtered urine as liquid fertilizer for agriculture.

Q.4. What are the challenges an Ecosan Toilet faces?
Ans: 1. It can be unsustainable if it has too little user acceptance and the cost of construction not affordable to the target group of users.
2. Ecosan toilets focus more on nutrient cycling than on public health benefits.
3. Pathogen destruction during the process of composting in ecosan toilets has been questioned by many. 

Q.5. Which states in India have Ecosan Toilets?
Ans: An NGO Seva Mandir, in Rajasthan, is promoting the use of Ecosan toilets. Apart from this, parts of Gujarat, Karnataka and Kerala have the ecosan toilets in use.

We hope this detailed article on Ecosan Toilets helps you in your preparation. If you get stuck do let us know in the comments section below and we will get back to you at the earliest.