IEES Dr. Johannes Heeb Bahnhofstraße 2, CH-6110 Wolhusen, Schweiz Phone: +41-(0) Fax: +41-(0) Network for the Development of Sustainable Approaches for Large Scale Implementation of Sanitation in Africa NETSSAF Coordination Action Proposal/Contract Number: A Coordination Action supported by the European Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme within the " GLOBAL CHANGE AND ECOSYSTEMS " Programme Starting Date: 1st June 2006 Face-to-Face Training Course “Capacity Building for Ecological Sanitation” Closing the Loop

Credits This training material has been compiled by seecon international gmbh and Ecosan Services Foundation (ESF), for face-to-face capacity building courses in the field of ecological sanitation. Following the open-source concept for capacity building and non-profit use, copying is allowed provided proper acknowledgement of the source is made. We apologize in advance if references are missing or are incorrect, and welcome feedback if errors are detected. We encourage all feedback on the composition and content of this training material. Please direct it either to or seecon international gmbh Dr. Johannes Heeb Bahnhofstrasse 2, 6110 Wolhusen, Switzerland Phone:+41-(0) Web: Ecosan Services Foundation (ESF) Mr. Dayanand Panse "Vishwa Chandra", 1002/42 Rajendra Nagar, Pune – , Maharashtra, India Phone:+91-(0) Web:

Definitions of Sanitation & Ecological Sanitation What does sanitation include? safe collection, storage, treatment and disposal/re-use/ recycling of human excreta (faeces and urine) and sewage effluents drainage and disposal (re-use, recycling) of household grey water management/ re-use/ recycling of solid wastes treatment and disposal/ re-use/ recycling of drainage of stormwater collection and management of industrial waste products management of hazardous wastes, including hospital wastes, and chemical/radioactive and other dangerous substances. Source: (3) J.Heeb E.Menger-Krug M.Wafler

Problems we currently face: Pit Latrines, Soak Pits… On-site wastewater disposal systems can contaminate groundwater (infiltration of wastewater) when the groundwater table is high or when there is a high population density Source: (4)

Problems we currently face: Conventional Waterborne Sanitation… …are “flush and forget” sanitation solutions, where human wastes are flushed away with huge amounts of scarce freshwater, polluting rivers and the drinking water of people living further downstream.

Conventional Waterborne Sanitation: Water Use With conventional waterborne flush-toilets, we mix roughly 50 kg of faecal matter (per person/year) roughly 500 l of urine (per person/year) with roughly 20’000l of clean flushwater* 50 kg 500 L 20’000 L Based on the Swiss average for a toilet that uses about 8 L of Water per flush (11). P. M. Kropac If this wastewater is discharged untreated into rivers, an even higher amount of water is polluted

Conventional Waterborne Sanitation Systems: Limitations Despite many problems, improvement of hygienic situation in many places through conventional sanitation:  dangerous substances moved out of cities  excreta “safely” carried elsewhere J. Heeb And associated external costs are not considered: Environmental contamination Eutrophication of water bodies, Loss of fertilizer worth billions USD/year But:  Problem is shifted downstream!

Conventional Waterborne Sanitation Systems: Limitations Nutrient recovery often impossible: high concentrations of heavy metals & hazardous substances (due to the mixing of domestic wastewater with industrial wastewater) Huge demand for energy intensive artificial fertilisers, in response to the problem of decreasing soil fertility. (16) P. JenssenR. Otterpohl Heavy metals and organic micropollutants

Conventional Waterborne Sanitation Systems: Limitations Unsatisfactory purification or uncontrolled discharge of more than 90 % of wastewater worldwide Severe water pollution, unbearable health risks Consumption of precious water for transport of waste High investment, energy, operating and maintenance costs Frequent neglect of poorer settlements Loss of valuable nutrients for agriculture Linear end-of-pipe technology Source: (9) Source: GTZ (9)

Ecological Sanitation as a Sustainable Alternative New paradigm is needed: environmental sanitation based on ecosystem approaches closing of material flow cycles Ecological sanitation: based on an overall view of material flows as part of an ecologically and economically sustainable wastewater management system Respecting local needs and customs Source: (1) Ecosan is a new philosophy, not a specific technology!

Ecological Sanitation as a Sustainable Alternative NUTRIENTS closing the loop between sanitation and agriculture FOOD Pathogen destruction Source: (4) The basic principle of ecosan is to close the loop between sanitation and agriculture without compromising health

Ecological Sanitation as a Sustainable Alternative Source: (1) P. JenssenSource: (4) Closing the nutrient loop between sanitation and agriculture  complete recuperation of nutrients, organic material and water  safeguarding soil fertility ecosan systems aim to:  Reduce health risk related to sanitation, contaminated water and waste  Improve quality of surface and groundwater  Improve soil fertility  Optimise the management of nutrients and water resources Agricultural Reuse:

Ecological Sanitation as a Sustainable Alternative Domestic reuse of greywater after treatment:  industry, toilets  Recharge of groundwater Rainwater harvesting  treatment  drinking water Use of energy contained in wastewater:  Electricity  Heating  Biogas production (cooking)  etc…. P. JenssenSource: (4) P. Jenssen Other Reuse Possibilities:

Ecological Sanitation: Source Separation is often practiced faeces (brownwater) anaerobic digestion, drying, composting, mixing with organic solid waste biogas, soil improvement constructed wetlands, gardening, wastewater ponds, biol. treatment, membrane- technology Greywater (showers, washing, etc.) irrigation, groundwater recharge or direct reuse urine (yellowwater) liquid or dry fertiliser hygienisation by storage or drying filtration, biol. treatment rainwater water supply, groundwater recharge treatment utilisation substances Source: (1)

Advantages of ecosan Systems Improvement of health Promotion of recycling Conservation of resources Preference for modular, decentralised partial-flow systems Increasing user comfort/security, in particular for women and girls Contribution to the preservation of soil fertility Improvement of agricultural productivity and hence contributes to food security Promotion of a holistic, interdisciplinary approach. Cyclic Material-flow instead of disposal. Source: (18)

Advantages of ecosan Systems: Closing the Loop(s) Watering garden Recrea- tional water Ground- water recharge Filtration (membra ne, sand) Biologi- cal Treat- ment Water (drinking water) Nutrient Energy Fertilizer (N, P, K) Soil amend- ment Anaerobic treat- ment (biogas) Aerobic treat- ment (compos ting) Grey- water Black- water Organi c waste

Advantages of ecosan Systems: Turning Waste into Resources  Urine (very few pathogens): 88% of the nitrogen, 67% of the phosphorus and 71% of the potassium carried in domestic wastewater  Faeces (many pathogens) contain 12% of the nitrogen, 33% of the phosphorus, 29% of the potassium and also 46% of the organic carbon – but highly pathogenic Source: (18) Source: GTZ (18) Ecosan stands for turning waste into a useful and marketable resource A human almost produces the amount of nutrients that is needed for growing his or her food:

Advantages of ecosan Systems: Multidisciplinarity Holistic strategies include: agriculture (including urban farming) food security health care economics urban planning waste management in general Source: (18) Source: GTZ (18) “All in all, ecosan represents a new basic understanding of wastewater management. Faeces and urine are not considered as pollutants but instead as useful resources.”

ecosan - Different Basic Types of Projects ecosan is not only a solution for rural, grass root, small scale projects in developing countries ecosan projects exist world wide in a large variety as low- as well as high-tech applications. Environmentally friendly ecosan settlements exist in northern Europe, India, China, Mexico, southern Africa, … source: GTZ

Conclusion Ecosan is…...not only about dry ecosan toilets …not a certain technology...not only about wastewater treatment… J. Heeb

Conclusion Ecosan… …regards all (dry and wet) “wastes” as resources …is all about reuse, recovery and recycling of nutrients & water …is a new holistic way of thinking, not a specific technology!

Conclusion Leapfrog the conventional centralized sewers - go straight to modern sanitation based on ecological principles! Source: P. Jenssen J. Heeb P. Jenssen R. Otterpohl

++ References (1)Werner, Ch. Panesar, A. Bracken, P., Mang, H.P., Huba-Mang, E. Gerold, A.M., Demsat, S., Eicher, I. (GTZ) (2004): An ecosan source book for the preparation and implementation of ecological sanitation projects. 3rd draft, February GTZ. (2)Environmental Sanitation Working Group of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council WSSCC (2004): Bellagio statement: Clean, healthy and productive living: A new approach to environmental sanitation. (3)Evans, B. (2004): Whatever Happened to Sanitation? - Practical steps to achieving a core Development Goal. Millennium Project: Task Force on Water and Sanitation in March (4)Werner, Ch., Mang H.-P., Klingel, F. Bracken, P. (2004): General overview of ecosan. PowerPoint-Presentation. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH ecological sanitation programme. (5)Evans, R. (1990): Tod in Hamburg. Stadt, Gesellschaft und Politik in den Cholerajahren Rowohlt. (6)Ecosanres (2005): Fact Sheet No 1: The Sanitation Crisis. Ecological Sanitation Research/SIDA, Sweden. Available at: (Accessed ). (7)NOVAQUATIS, EAWAG (2005): Nova 5 Workpackages: Micropollutants. Available at: (Accessed ). (8)Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: Eutrophication (Accessed ) (9)GTZ: ecosan – Ecological Sanitation: Shortcomings of conventional sanitation systems. Available at: (Accessed ). (10)Deplazes, G. & Hieber, M (2005): Handlungsbedarf beim Abwasser im ländlichen Raum. – In: Schweizer Gemeinde 10/2005. (11)BUWAL Bundesamt für Umwelt, Wald und Landschaft (2005): (accessed ) (12)Alsén, K.W. & Jenssen, P.D. (2004): Ecological Sanitation. For mankind and nature. Norwegian University of Life Sciences. (13)Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: Runoff. (Accessed ) (14)Ecosanres (2005): Fact Sheet No 2: The Main Features of Ecological Sanitation. Ecological Sanitation Research/SIDA, Sweden. Available at: (Accessed ). (15)Esrey, S. A., Andersson, I. Hillers, A., Sawyer, R. (2001): Closing the Loop. Ecological Sanitation for Food Security. Publications on Water Resources No. 18. UNDP, SIDA. (16)Jenssen, P. D. (2005): Ecological Sanitation – a technology assessment. Norwegian University of Life Sciences. PowerPoint- Presentation, held at the 9th. International conference on ”Ecological Sanitation” Mumbai India, November 25th, (17) Werner, Ch., Abdoulaye Fall, P., Schlick, J. & H.-P. Mang (2003): Reasons and principles for ecological sanitation. 2nd International Symposium on Ecological Sanitation, April Lubeck, Germany. Available at: ecosan-reasons-and-principles-2004.pdfwww.gtz.de/de/dokumente/en- ecosan-reasons-and-principles-2004.pdf (18)GTZ: ecosan – Ecological Sanitation: Advantages of ecosan concepts. Available at: (Accessed ). (19)Werner, Ch. (2004):Ecological sanitation – principles, urban application and challenges. PP-Presentation at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, 12th Session - New York, April Available at: www2.gtz.de/ecosan/download/CSD12- ecosan-werner.pdf

IEES Dr. Johannes Heeb Bahnhofstraße 2, CH-6110 Wolhusen, Schweiz Phone: +41-(0) Fax: +41-(0) Network for the Development of Sustainable Approaches for Large Scale Implementation of Sanitation in Africa NETSSAF Coordination Action Proposal/Contract Number: A Coordination Action supported by the European Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme within the " GLOBAL CHANGE AND ECOSYSTEMS " Programme Starting Date: 1st June 2006 Face-to-Face Training Course “Capacity Building for Ecological Sanitation” Closing the Loop