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Concept
Dry toilet
Summary
A dry toilet (or non-flush toilet, no flush toilet or toilet without a flush) is a toilet which, unlike a flush toilet, does not use flush water. Dry toilets do not use water to move excreta along or block odors. They do not produce sewage, and are not connected to a sewer system or septic tank. Instead, excreta falls through a drop hole.
A variety of dry toilets exist, ranging from simple bucket toilets to specialized incinerating and freezing toilets.
Types of dry toilet, listed in approximate order from simplest to most complex, include:
Bucket toilet – The most basic kind of toilet. May have a toilet seat, with or without a lid. May be accompanied by material (e.g. wood ash, sawdust, or quick lime) to cover excreta after use.
Pit latrine – excluding pour-flush versions with water seal
Urine-diverting dry toilet – urine and feces collected separately
Composting toilet
Arborloo – shallow pit latrine designed for making compost
Treebog – on a raised platform above a compost pile, surrounded by densely planted willow trees (or similar)
Container-based toilet – excreta is collected in sealable, removable containers (also called cartridges) which are later transported to waste treatment facilities
Packaging toilet – packages feces separately after each use
Incinerating toilets and freezing toilets – More complex technology than most dry toilets. Require electricity (or other suitable energy source) to function.
Other types of dry toilets are under development at universities, for example since 2012 funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Such toilets are meant to operate off-the-grid without connections to water, sewer, or electrical lines.
One important source states that the term dry toilet should only refer to the user interface and not the subsequent storage and treatment steps. However, in the WASH sector, the term dry toilet is used differently by different people. It often includes also the storage and treatment steps. For example, it is common that the term dry toilet is used to refer specifically to a urine-diverting dry toilet or a composting toilet.
Official source
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