page_title: Fecal sludge management
section_title: Purposes
hierarchical_section_title: Fecal sludge management / Background / Purposes
caption_attribution_description: English: Desluding using proper PPE. Dumaguete Philippines
context_page_description: Fecal sludge management is the collection, transport, and treatment of fecal sludge from pit latrines, septic tanks or other onsite sanitation systems. Fecal sludge is a mixture of human excreta, water and solid wastes that are disposed of in pits, tanks or vaults of onsite sanitation systems. Fecal sludge that is removed from septic tanks is called septage.
  FSM is necessary in densely populated areas where a proportion of the population is not connected to a sewerage network, and the covering and rebuilding of pit latrines is not possible. This is the case in most urban areas in developing countries, but such services are also used in developed countries where sewerage systems are unavailable. FSM services are usually provided by formal and informal private sector services providers, local governments, water authorities and utilities. However, in many developing countries FSM services are often unavailable, or if they are available are often informal, unregulated, unhygienic and unsafe. This can lead to surface water and groundwater pollution, the spreading of pathogens into the environment and adverse public health impacts.
context_section_description: Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals for (water and) sanitation has helped to increase awareness of the risks of poor sanitation management along the entire sanitation chain. It has provided a motivation to many countries, cities and organizations to improve the range of improved sanitation services available. Among these are FSM programs designed to:  
  Improve the functioning of onsite sanitation systems and to reduce the potential for human contact with fecal-borne pathogens;
  Minimize odors and nuisances, and the uncontrolled discharge of organic matter from overflowing tanks or pits;
  Support the upgrading of onsite sanitation upgrading programs;
  Safeguard public health against indiscriminate disposal of collected fecal sludge;
  Derive agricultural products, including soil conditioner from composting or co-composting materials and energy products such as biogas, charcoal pellets, industrial powdered fuel etc.
  Stimulate economic development, and job creation and livelihood opportunities, while addressing the issues of the social stigma and operator health and safety that continue to impact informal workers.
  FSM programs can be drivers of sanitation improvement in different ways. They can encourage OSSF upgrades that reduce (or increase) the frequency of desludging and therefore operational and environmental costs. They can also be drivers of economic development along the sanitation value chain. This can include the provision of materials and parts for new toilets and septic tanks.
  This can also include jobs for contractors and equipment installers; for sludge collection personal including drivers and emptiers; and for treatment and reuse systems operators.
  This can also include the production and sale of the end-products of the sludge treatment process.
  These products may include recycled water for agriculture and industry, soil conditioners, biogas, biodiesel or electricity.
  There are currently large numbers of pilot, demonstration and full-scale FSM programs operating in Asia and Africa, however to date few that have demonstrated a sustained impact upon the value chain.
caption: Desludging using proper personal protective equipment in Dumaguete, Philippines
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