Reinventing the Toilet
OERPROJECT / GLOBAL HEALTH ACTIVITYREINVENTING THE TOILET1Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Reinventing the Toilet,” OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/Adapted from “A Better Way to Go: Toilets and the Future of Sanitation,” from the Gates Foundation Discovery Center.PurposeDesigning your own improved toilet will help you explore the real-world challenges of creatingeffective sanitation systems—and how creative thinking can lead to better solutions.Process1.Let’s consider poo. Fill in the chart below with what you know about the positives and negatives of poo.Problems with pooGood things about poo2.Watch the videoDr. Yee’s Reinvented Toilet,andthen mark each statement in the table below as true or false.Reinvented toilets...TrueFalseRemove disease-causing agents, including viruses and bacteria.Rely on traditional sewage systems to transport and treat waste.Recover valuable resources like energy, clean water, and nutrients.Operate “off-the-grid” without connection to water and sewers,and require minimal electricity.
OERPROJECT / GLOBAL HEALTH ACTIVITYREINVENTING THE TOILET2Reinvented toilets...TrueFalseAre very low-cost (less than US$.05 cents per user per day).Provide sanitation only for large urban areas with existing infrastructure.Are designed to be something anyone would want to use.3.Brainstorm your own design for a reinvented toilet.•First, choose an inspiration for your toilet and circle your choice.•Jot down ideas for the following questions:How will you make sure what comes out of the toilet is safe and will not spread disease?
OERPROJECT / GLOBAL HEALTH ACTIVITYREINVENTING THE TOILET3What resources (energy, clean water, nutrients/fertilizer) will your toilet machine provide to users? How?How will your machine work without electricity or water?How will you keep the cost of the machine low?How will you make sure the machine meets the community’s needs and continues to be used?How can you make the toilet appealing to users? What materials would you use?
OERPROJECT / GLOBAL HEALTH ACTIVITYREINVENTING THE TOILET44.On a separate sheet of paper, draw or create a mock-up of your reinvented toilet, highlighting its most important features based on your notes above.5.Reflect on creating your reinvented toilet by answering these questions:•What was challenging about designing your own reinvented toilet? Whatfelt successful?•Why do you thinkit’s important to reinvent the toilet?