These systems are simple enough to maintain and operate that they do not require constant oversight by an engineer. As an effective sanitation technology, it improves the level of public health by reducing illnesses caused by pathogen-tainted water supplies. Another non-sewer approach to waste processing doubles as a source of energy. The unit produces an odorless dark slurry, used primarily for fertilizer. In order to create a recycling society, we need to capture the wastes, render them safe and return them to productive resources again.
Ecological sanitation is based on natural ecosystems.
It contributes to environmental health and human well-being by reducing disease transmission and disposal of wastes, by recovering and recycling water and nutrients for increasing food security. Any sustainable solution to sanitation problems must be based on the fact that human excreta are a potential resource that could be recycled and reused. Recycling will require that organic material be viewed as a resource, rather than a waste product. We need policies to educate municipal authorities and citizens about the value of recycling organic waste and the steps to achieve it. Initiatives to assist farmers in managing the quantities of nutrients and organic matter that are applied to their land can reduce pollution and rebuild soil.