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\"[A] manual that takes a practical, how-to approach to composting toilet system selection, design, installation, and operation, while meeting universal health and safety objectives. Drawing from existing regulations and research, this book dispels myths and provides tools to assess various systems\"--Back cover.

\"This book addresses the topic of toilet design, but instead of focusing on the typical able bodied user, it takes the various needs and limited abilities of older and/or disabled people as its starting point (human centered design). This follows the principles of ‘Inclusive Design’: designs taking into account the needs of the most challenged, will also have benefits for the healthy . For the most part, this book is a spin-off of an EU-funded research and development project called the ‘Friendly Rest Room for Elderly People’ (FFR), which ran from 2001 to 2005. During that period a consortium of 10 institutions in 7 European countries collaborated on the research, design and development of a friendlier toilet for elderly and disabled users. The contributions from partners in the FRR consortium to this book reflect the results of nearly 5 years of empirical work in different cultures, countries and disciplines. The book has been brought up-to-date with developments in this area of research in recent years. The goal of the FFR project was to carry out the necessary research and design, build and test prototypes for a Friendly Rest Room for older people and persons with a disability, enabling them to gain greater autonomy, independence, self-esteem, dignity, safety, improved self-care and thereby enjoy a better quality of life. The methods and technologies involved in fulfilling this objective included contactless smart card technologies with read-write capabilities, voice activation interface, motion control and sensor systems, mechanical engineering and robotic techniques, mathematical modelling, as well as ergonomic research and designs inspired by philosophy, gerontechnology and medical and social sciences. End-users and secondary users, as well as care takers and rehabilitation professionals, were involved in all stages of the research and problem solving processes of the FRR prototype development. Prototypes were tested taking account of the advice of industrial marketing companies and end-user organisations to improve the independence, dignity, safety, self-care and quality of life of older and/or disabled people within the European community. More about this project on http://www.is.tuwien.ac.at/fortec/reha.e/projects/frr/frr.html\"

Background Building toilets and getting people to use them is critical for public health. When prescribed with a sanitation option, households may go with it, choose alternatives, construct its non-conventional designs or practise open defaecation. Non-conventional designs may compromise operational efficiency and safety. This study assessed the construction and use of the Blair ventilated improved pit (BVIP) latrine, a sanitation option of choice for rural Zimbabwe, southern Africa. Methods A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 191 rural households who own BVIP latrines or their upgradable designs in a cross-sectional study in 2022. Latrine characteristics were physically observed using a checklist. Households were selected from nine villages of Nyanga district, Zimbabwe. The association between socioeconomic demography and level of latrine construction were evaluated using Chi square test. Cross tabulations were used to show the level of latrine construction and design. Binary logistic regression was used to determine significant predictors of latrine construction. Statistical relationships were considered significant if p  ≤ 0.05. Key findings Households self-reported adopting the BVIP latrine mainly due to government encouragement (42.07%) and for social reasons (34.49%) than for perceived health and hygiene benefits (4.71%). Some built latrines had wall openings, lacked roofs, vent pipes with fly screens and handwashing facilities. Latrine construction was significantly associated with household size, monthly income, number of cattle owned, latrine financier and the presence of a resident formally employed household member ( p  < 0.001). Some household members did not use latrines (40.84%) citing main reasons as unhygienic environment (39.75%), inconveniences (26.92%) and foul smell (17.95%). Increasing household size, income and the number of cattle, the presence of a resident formally employed household member and NGO financing latrine construction were more likely to complete ( p  < 0.05). Conclusions Ongoing sanitation developments (outside specific interventions) need close monitoring for latrine construction and dissemination of sanitation behaviour change messages at a local scale. The mantra, so long a toilet , does not work when a conventional latrine design is prescribed.

Some latrines remain unused even under conditions of high coverage in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries. Not much is known on household latrine use in the long term in the absence of an intervention. The current work assesses drivers and barriers to sustained use of a ventilated improved pit latrine (Blair VIP) design where it originated and how rural households adapt it to climate change. A mixed methods study was conducted from November 2020 to May 2021 among rural households of Mbire district, Zimbabwe. A cross sectional survey of 238 households with Blair ventilated improved pit (BVIP) latrines was conducted using a questionnaire and a latrine observation checklist. Data were analysed using logistic regression. Qualitative data were collected using six focus groups among house heads and analysed by thematic analysis. The latrine has perceived health, non-health and hygiene benefits for its sustained use. However, there are design, environmental and social barriers. The quantitative study indicated that determinants of latrine use were contextual (individual and household levels) and technology (individual level) factors. Focus groups indicated that latrine use was influenced by social, technology and contextual factors at multiple level factors. Interplay of factors influenced the intention to adapt the BVIP latrine to climate change. Local climate change adaptation strategies for the latrine were odour and erosion control, construction of the conventional latrine design and raised structures. The conventional BVIP latrine design is durable and relatively resilient to climate change with high local household use. High construction cost of the latrine causes households to build incomplete and poor quality designs which affect odour and fly control. These are barriers to sustained latrine use. The government should implement the new sanitation policy which considers alternative sanitation options and offer community support for adapting sanitation to climate change.

Poor indoor air quality reduces the comfort experienced in the environment and can also harm our physical health. Mechanical ventilation design plays an important role in improving the indoor environment and the safety of public toilets. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate public toilet ventilation design schemes through a digital twin to determine the most effective scheme for reducing indoor pollutant concentrations. In this study, we used Autodesk Revit to create a digital twin BIM of different ventilation systems. We simulated the diffusion of pollutants in these models using computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based methods, and we used DesignBuilder to simulate building energy consumption. From the perspective of architectural design, we determined measures important for reducing the concentration of air pollutants by increasing the number and volume of air exchanges and controlling the installation height of exhaust vents. The results show that the ventilation design of an all-air air conditioning system with an exhaust height of 400 mm can remarkably improve the indoor environmental health and ventilation efficiency of public toilets, while consuming 20.4% less energy and reducing carbon emissions by 30,681 kg CO2.

Most people in sub-Saharan countries had limited drinking water services and toilet facilities. The collection of water can affect the health of the whole family, particularly children. Therefore this study aims to investigate determinants of limited access to drinking water services and spatial distributions of limited access to drinking water services, unimproved drinking water sources, and toilet facilities among households in Ethiopia. Cross-sectional collected secondary data analysis was conducted based on the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). A mixed-effect logistic regression model was used for analysis. The total weighted sample of 10, 183 households was included in the analysis. The study population is comprised of all households who had recorded the time taken to fetch improved drinking water during the survey. The primary outcome of this study is the proportion of households that have limited access to drinking water services. Whereas the secondary outcomes are determinants of limited access to drinking water services and spatial distributions of limited drinking water services, unimproved drinking water sources, and toilet facilities among households in Ethiopia. In this study, 39.74% [95% CI: 38.79, 40.69] of households in Ethiopia had limited access to drinking water services. This proportion ranges from 2.64% in Addis Ababa to 57.35% in the Somali region. Household head, education, residence, and regions were associated with limited access to drinking water services. The spatial analysis showed that the eastern part of Amhara, Afar and the Somali region predicted the highest limited drinking water services. The unimproved drinking water source was detected in the Central part of Amhara, Somalia regions. Almost all regions except Addis Ababa and Diredewa predicted the highest prevalence of unimproved toilet facilities. Access to improved drinking water is relatively poor throughout Ethiopia, with some regions experiencing more limited access than others. From individual level variables age, educational level, and sex household head, whereas from community level variables residences, and region were factors significantly associated with access to limited drinking water services. The spatial analysis confirmed that there are inequalities in unimproved drinking water sources, and toilet facilities between regions in Ethiopia. The government of Ethiopia should work to increase the accessibility of improved drinking water at the national level and to narrow the gap in its accessibility between urban and rural residences and between regions. Accessibility to drinking water programs should focus on the disadvantaged group such as non-educated, male head households and living rural residences. All stalk holders should work to improve the quality of drinking water and sanitation facilities.

Customised bathrooms are a basic requirement these days for every house, apartment and hotel room.In addition to personal hygiene, bathrooms also have an important function at the emotional level when it comes to taking time out, indulging and relaxing.The public sector can also benefit from appealing and hygienic sanitary areas.

The Engineering Field Testing Platform (EFTP) was designed to provide an opportunity for technology developers (TDs) to test non-sewered sanitation prototypes in the eThekwini Municipal Area (Durban), South Africa. Between 2017 and 2020, 15 sanitation systems were tested in informal settlements, peri-urban households, and other 'real world' settings. This paper illustrates the lessons learned from establishing and managing this testing platform. Costs and timelines for testing are dependent on several factors, including the aims of testing, the development stage of the prototype, whether testing takes place in a community or household setting and if a testing site is shared between prototypes. Timelines were routinely underestimated, particularly for community engagement and commissioning of prototypes to reach steady-state operation. Personnel accounted for more than half of the EFTP's costs. The presence of the municipality as a platform partner was vital to the success of testing, both for gaining political support and for enabling access to testing sites. It is noted that working in communities, with test sites in public spaces, requires technical and social sensitivity to context. It was important to ensure testing supported future municipal decision-making on service provision, as well as longer-term development within communities. The high number of stakeholders, locally and internationally, raised management challenges common to any large project. However, the EFTP added value to TDs, the eThekwini Municipality, and communities requiring improved sanitation services; this was amplified through the platform approach.

There are gaps in global understanding about how to design and implement interventions to improve sanitation. This formative study provided insights for the subsequent redesign of a government-led national sanitation campaign targeting rural populations in Tanzania. The Behaviour Centred Design approach was used to investigate the determinants of toilet building, improvement and use. Varied, novel, and interactive research tools were employed in fifty-five households in two regions of rural Tanzania. Results were analysed to articulate a Theory of Change, which then informed intervention design. Participants valued hard work, enterprise, and improving their lives over many years. They wanted better toilets but felt no urgency to act quickly. A common emotional motivator for improving toilets was to protect children from disease (Nurture) but this was insufficient to drive rapid change. Disgust with traditional toilets meant they were built at a distance from the house: an 'out of sight, out of mind' attitude. Other powerful motives included the desire to improve living conditions (Create), and to become a modern Tanzanian (Status), albeit without 'showing off'. Construction costs and water scarcity were the main stated barriers. Receiving information about realistic costs, support accessing materials, and visiting better latrines elsewhere were commonly reported reasons for improving latrines. The resulting Theory of Change recommended that the intervention should surprise people with a novel conversation about toilets, promote toilets as a means of conferring status, and introduce a perceived urgency to 'act now'. It should suggest that modest improvements would lead to a better life. Feelings of disgust and fear with poor quality toilets should be amplified, and barriers lessened through promoting transformational toilet improvements, and improving access to modern toilet products. This research provided considerable insight into sanitation behaviours in rural Tanzania, which informed creative intervention design.

Background Diarrhoeal disease is the third leading cause of death in children under 5 years old with domestic flies acting as important mechanical vectors of diarrhoeal pathogens. To assess the effectiveness of a novel house design, “Star home”, and improved toilets in reducing the abundance of domestic flies, potential carriers of diarrhoeal pathogens, a randomized controlled trial was carried out in rural Tanzania. Methods Domestic fly populations were monitored in 28 randomly selected Star homes and 28 traditional thatched roofs and mud-walled houses over 2 years from January 2022 to December 2023. Flies were sampled in kitchens and toilets using baited-fly traps from 07.00 h to 17.30 h every 7 weeks. To assess the production of flies from toilets, traps were placed over drop holes to collect emerging flies. Duration of external door openings to the kitchens was recorded with data loggers. Findings Of the 1527 flies collected, 76% were Chrysomya putoria , 16% Musca domestica and 8% Sarcophaga spp. In kitchen collections, there were 46% fewer C. putoria flies [adjusted mean rate ratio (RR) = 0.54] and 69% fewer Sarcophaga spp. (RR = 0.31) in Star homes compared to traditional houses. There was no difference in the abundance of M. domestica in the two study groups. In toilets, there was 49% fewer C. putoria (RR = 0.51), but no difference was observed for other domestic fly species. No flies emerged from Star home toilets compared with a mean of 4.2 flies/trap/day in traditional toilets. During the day, the external doors od Star homes were open for an average of 13.0 min/h less than in traditional houses. Conclusions Star homes reduced the abundance of domestic flies, apart from houseflies, in the kitchen and there were fewer C. putoria , a putative vector of diarrhoeal diseases, in Star home toilets compared to traditional houses. Changing the design of buildings can contribute to a decline in domestic flies and may lead to a reduction in diarrhoeal diseases. Graphical Abstract