A leach field, or drainage field, is a network of perforated pipes that are laid in underground gravel-filled trenches to dissipate the effluent from…
Waste Stabilization Ponds (WSP)
Waste Stabilization Ponds (WSPs) are large, man-made water bodies. The ponds can be used individually, or linked in a series for improved treatment.…
A soak pit, also known as a soakaway or leach pit, is a covered, porous-walled chamber that allows water to slowly soak into the ground. Pre-settled…
The term aquaculture refers to the controlled cultivation of aquatic plants and animals by making use of various types of wastewater as a source for…
Application of Dehydrated Faeces
When faeces are stored in the absence of moisture (i.e., urine), they [8251-dehydrate] into a crumbly, white-beige coarse, flaky material or powder.…
Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR)
An anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) is an improved [8217-septic tank] with a series of baffles under which the wastewater is forced to flow. The…
A septic tank is a watertight chamber made of concrete, fibreglass, PVC or plastic, through which blackwater and greywater flows for primary…
A greywater tower is a circular bag, which is filled with soil, ash and/or compost mixture and a gravel column at the centre. It is used to treat and…
Urine, which contains valuable nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, can be applied to soil and used as fertiliser for crops. Though valuable,…
Anaerobic Digestion (General)
Biogas sanitation is the treatment of waste and wastewater by a process called anaerobic digestion. During anaerobic digestion, the organic matter in…
Anaerobic Digestion (Small-scale)
A small-scale biogas reactor or anaerobic digester is an anaerobic treatment technology that produces (a) a digested slurry (digestate) that can be…
Anaerobic Digestion (Organic Waste)
Anaerobic biogas digesters are airtight reactors in which organic waste is decomposed and transformed into biogas by a biological process called…
A settler is a primary treatment technology for wastewater; it is designed to remove suspended solids by sedimentation. It may also be referred to as…
Urine-Diverting Dry Toilet (UDDT)
A urine-diverting dry toilet (UDDT) is a toilet that operates without water and has a divider so that the user, with little effort, can divert the…
A pour flush toilet is like a regular cistern flush toilet except that the water is poured in by the user, instead of coming from the cistern above.…
Sanitation systems are a combination of different functional units that together allow managing and reusing or disposing the different waste flows…
Double Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP)
The double VIP has almost the same design as the single VIP with the added advantage of a second pit that allows it to be used continuously and…
Urine-Diverting Flush Toilet (UDFT)
The urine-diverting flush toilet (UDFT) is similar in appearance to a cistern flush toilet except for the diversion in the bowl. The toilet bowl has…
The cistern flush toilet is usually made of porcelain and is a mass-produced, factory-made user interface. The flush toilet consists of a water tank…
An urinal is used only for collecting urine. Urinals are generally for men, although models for women have also been developed. Most urinals use…
This technology consists of two alternating pits connected to a pour flush toilet. The blackwater (and in some cases greywater) is collected in the…
(Co-) composting (Small-scale)
Composting at the household level is an important method for managing organic waste, which is normally the largest portion of household waste.…
Free-Water Surface Constructed Wetland
A free-water surface constructed wetland aims to replicate the naturally occurring processes of a natural wetland, marsh or swamp. As water slowly…
A non-planted filter is a box filled with sand and gravel, through which wastewater flows and is filtered. There are several types of non-planted…
Incineration (Small-Scale)
Small-scale incinerators are a useful technology to combust household waste, medical waste, slaughter waste, etc. instead of discharging it in a…
The term aquaculture refers to the controlled cultivation of aquatic plants and animals by making use of various types of wastewater as a source for…
To reduce dependence on freshwater and maintain a constant source of water for irrigation throughout the year, wastewater of varying quality can be…
Evapotranspiration beds are an alternative secondary treatment solution for greywater, pre-treated effluents from septic tanks, anal cleansing water…
(Co-) composting (Large-scale)
Co-composting is the controlled aerobic degradation of organics, using more than one feedstock (faecal sludge and organic solid waste). As organic…
The compost filter is a fairly new method for pre-treating wastewater. There are two different methods: two chamber compost filters or compost filter…
Urine Storage Tank / Container
When urine cannot be used immediately or transported using a conveyance technology (i.e. [8287-jerrycans]) it can be stored onsite in containers or…
The Vertical Garden is a stackable planter made for indoor and outdoor use. Also called plant wall, green wall and bio wall, this is a light framed,…
Horizontal Flow Constructed Wetlands (HFCW)
HFCWs are secondary treatment facilities for household, municipal and industrial wastewater, and they can also be used as a tertiary treatment system…
Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland (VFCW)
VFCWs are secondary and/or tertiary treatment facilities for household, municipal and industrial wastewater. Pre-treated wastewater is intermittently…
