Arborloo
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2008) |
An Arborloo is a simple and ecological type of toilet consisting of:
- Pit
- Concrete slab
- Superstructure (toilet house) to provide privacy
- A ring beam to protect the pit (optional)
The concept of the arborloo toilet is to collect feces in a pit, and subsequently to grow e.g. a fruiting tree in this very fertile soil.
The arborloo works by temporarily putting the slab and superstructure above a shallow pit while this pit fills. When the pit is nearly full (3/4), the superstructure and slab is moved to a newly dug pit and the old pit is covered with the earth got by digging the new pit and left to compost. The old site uses a bed for fruit tree or other, which is preferably planted during the rainy season.[1]
The arborloo can be considered a simple form of composting toilet. In using the nutrient rich soil of a retired pit the arborloo in effect treats feces as a resource rather than a waste product. In this the arborloo both addresses issues with sanitation and provide increase crop output.
The pit[edit]
The defecation pit may be circular or square and this may depend on the slap and superstructe. A circular pit is less likely to collapse.[2] The pit of the arborloo is shallow (between 1-1.5 meter).[3]
If the pit is dug by hand it must have a diameter/width of at least 0.9 meters to accommodate effective digging.[4] The pit should not be wider than the slab and must allow for 0.1 meter bearing around the edge.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Morgan, Peter (2007). Toilets that make compost: Low-cost, sanitary toilets that produce valuable compost for crops in an African context. Stockholm: EcoSanRes Programme. ISBN 978-9-197-60222-8.
- ^ WEDC (2012). An engineer's guide to latrine slabs. Loughborough University: WEDC. p. 4. ISBN 978 1 84380 143 6.
- ^ Morgan, Peter (2007). Toilets that make compost: Low-cost, sanitary toilets that produce valuable compost for crops in an African context. Stockholm: EcoSanRes Programme. ISBN 978-9-197-60222-8.
- ^ CAWST (2011). Introduction to Low Cost Sanitation Latrine Construction. CAWST: Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology. p. 16.
- ^ CAWST (2011). Introduction to Low Cost Sanitation Latrine Construction. CAWST: Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology. p. 16.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arborloo. |
