Technical Guide to EcoSan Promotion

The diverted urine that is loaded with essential plant nutrients is collected in a
container and then applied hygienically as fertilizer and pesticide into the soil media
of field crops. Care should be taken to ensure that no water or urine gets into the
drying chamber. If this happens, extra soil, ash, lime, or sawdust should be added
to help absorb the liquid. Where water is used for cleansing, an appropriate User
Interface should be installed to divert and collect it separately.
To empty the chambers, a shovel, gloves and possibly a face mask (cloth) should be
used to limit contact with the dried faeces. Sanitized human excreta are a good soil
conditioner.
UDDTs and toilets connected to a biogas are recommended by WHO as
hygienically safe recycling sanitation systems which are regarded as sustainable to
basic sanitation. The concrete or porcelain toilet slab has more than one hole so that
urine and faeces are separated at source.
This allows waste matter to be disposed of separately and hygienically treated in
storage chambers beneath the toilet floor. There are two holes for faecal matter - one
on each side of the centre hole - which can be interchanged to allow a container of
faeces to decompose once it is full. The intake cover is marked USE and DON’T
USE. Only the chamber in use has a handle.If the urine is not collected into a
container but piped away instead, the room can be used as a bathing space. However,
the outlet cover must be kept firmly closed.
A plastic pipe flushes the urine into a storage canister such as a plastic debe (Kenyan
colloquial for tin). This becomes liquid fertiliser high in nutrients after being diluted
with water on a 1:5 ratio. It must remain in a darkened container for a minimum
of two weeks. The end product is excellent for planting tree seedlings and for
horticulture because of its exceptionally high nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium
content.
UDDT owners have a choice of collection methods. A container such as a plasticlined
basket needs to be emptied about every two weeks. The alternative is to use
the drying chamber in its entirety. This has the advantage that collection from the
chamber need be done only about twice a year. This process yields organic compost
that has no faecal pathogens. It has the same look, smell and consistency of any
other manure.
3.2.2 Types of a UDDT
UDDTs come in many different designs of urinals and toilets connected to a
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