Public Sanitation
Using Hot Composting
Third Annual International Health and Development Conference,October 26, 2013, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Joe Jenkins
Joseph Jenkins, Inc.
EcologicalSanitation.com

Most Sanitation Systems Create Pollution
 Dirty water is the world's biggest health risk.
 When we use a flush toilet, we intentionallydefecate into drinkable water, thereby polluting it.
 Pit Latrines pollute ground water and water wells.
 Open defecation pollutes soil and spreads disease
and parasites.

Beaches are closed whenbacteria levels are too high.
The largest known contributor tobeach closings is storm waterpollution and untreated sewage spills.
There were 5,725 beach closings oradvisories in the US during the 2012
swimming season.

Polluted Water
is a Serious Health
Hazard Worldwide
 88% of all diarrhea cases are caused by polluted
drinking water, resulting in 1.7 million deaths annuallyworld-wide.
 WHO states that fecal pathogens contaminate water
through sewage systems, flush toilets and latrines.
 By 2015 there will be 2.7 billion people without accessto basic sanitation.

Here are some viruses that canbe transmitted by feces:Here are protozoa that can betransmitted by feces:Parasites thatcan be spread
via fecal
contamination:

Disease bacteria that can be in feces:

Sanitation systems that destroy
pathogens are needed.
 Composting destroys pathogens.
 Composting is not based on water use.
 Composting does not create waste orpollution.
 Composting recycles soil nutrients and yields
a valuable byproduct.

What is Compost?
Compost is the controlled, aerobic,
biological degradation of organic
material - a process which produces
internal biological heat.

Composting Kills Disease Germs
Research has shown that thermophilic (hot)composting is deadly to human pathogens.
Researchers include Gotaas, (1956W.H.O.); Feachem, et al. (1980 WorldBank). Franceys, R. et al. (1992 W.H.O.)
and others.

Hookworms die rapidly in compost.

Parasitic worm eggs die rapidly in compost.

Ascaris eggs develop at temperatures between 15.5° C (59.9° F) and35° C (95° F), but the eggs disintegrate at temperatures above 38° C(100.4° F). The temperatures generated during thermophilic composting
can easily exceed levels needed to destroy roundworm eggs.

Pathogens in general die in compost.

Complete pathogen destruction isguaranteed by arriving at a temperatureof 62° C (143.6° F) for one hour, 50° C(122° F) for one day, 46° C (114.8° F)
for one week or 43° C (109.4° F) for one
month. It appears that no excreted
pathogen can survive a temperature of65° C (149° F) for more than a few
minutes.

How Compost Kills Pathogens
 Biological Heat generated by compost
microorganisms
 Competition for food from compost
microorganisms
 Inhibition and antagonism by compostmicroorganisms
 Consumption by compost organisms;
 Antibiotics produced by compostmicroorganisms

Compost is teeming with
beneficial microorganisms.

Humanure contains up to a trillion(1,000,000,000,000) bacteria pergram.
There are 10 times as many
bacteria in our bodies as there are
human cells.
Beneficial microorganisms keep us
alive.

How can toilets make hot compost?
1) Collect the toilet material
2) Add carbon
3) Compost aerobically COLLECT-COVER-COMPOST

Sugar cane bagasse, an industrial byproduct in Haiti, is a carbon source.

Sawdust is anotherproduct free for the hauling.

“Collection”
Toilets simply
collect toilet
materials before
they come incontact with theenvironment.

HAITI
A 20 liter
receptacle inside
the toilet collects
feces and urine.
Urine separation is
not required andis counterproductive tothermophiliccompostingsystems.

The contents arecovered with a carbonbased material. The
receptacle is easily
removable.

A 60 liter
receptacle isabout themaximum sizethat can beeasily handled
without
machinery.

The toilets are inexpensive to construct.

Thesehumanure
toilets in Haiti
are based onthe Loveable
Loo design.
®

They can be locatedinside an existingbuilding. No special
infrastructure isneeded: no drains,
no electricity, novents, no pits, nopipes, no plumbing.

Or they can be in their own building.

This Haitian
toilet utilizes achute throughthe floor.

Sixty liter recycled drums collect the toilet
material underneath the stalls.

One drum is being filled while anempty one waits to replace it.

Compost toilets at this school weredesigned by Architecture for Humanity.

Inside the toilet building.

Inside a stall.

Access to the organic material isbehind the building.

Instructions should be posted inside each toilet.

Hand washingstations arelocated at every
toilet.

The toilets can be painted
with ecological messages.

These toilets recycle. There is no waste, nopollution, and no disposal.

The collected material can be composted
near the toilet. It is always covered.

The toilet contents are added toa depression in the compost pile.

The new material is covered withclean bagasse. No flies, no odor.

Thermophilic conditions areconsistent and prolonged.

After 6 months, this compost was still at131F. The US EPA requires 3 days at 131F
for hygienic safety.

Food scraps arealso added to thecompost bins. A
variety of organic
materials can berecycled using
this system, evenanimalmortalities.

Public education helps to improve acceptanceof this revolutionary sanitation system.

Compost training in Haiti

After a year of aging, the finishedcompost is suitable for food gardens.

These trees are being planted inhumanure compost.

What would
have been
sewage andpollution and athreat to publichealth is now
clean compost.

“Human Waste” creates
pollution and threatenspublic health.
“Humanure” creates
compost and enhances
public health.

Any Questions?
Presentation by Joseph Jenkins
Joseph Jenkins, Inc., USA
EcologicalSanitation.com
Haiti toilets were set up by GiveLove.org:
Patricia Arquette, Alisa Keesey, Jean Lucho
Also contact: SOIL (OurSoil.org)