An arborloo is a simple type of

composting toilet A composting toilet is a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by a biological process called composting. This process leads to the decomposition of organic matter and turns human waste into compost-like material. Composting is carried out b ...

in which feces are collected in a shallow pit and a

fruit tree A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans — all trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, t ...

is later planted in the fertile

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

of the full pit. Arborloos have: a pit like a

pit latrine A pit latrine, also known as pit toilet, is a type of toilet that collects human feces in a hole in the ground. Urine and feces enter the pit through a drop hole in the floor, which might be connected to a toilet seat or squatting pan for use ...

but less deep; a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

ferrocement Ferrocement or ferro-cement is a system of construction using reinforced mortar or plaster (lime or cement, sand, and water) applied over an "armature" of metal mesh, woven, expanded metal, or metal-fibers, and closely spaced thin steel rods ...

or other strong floor; a superstructure (toilet house or

outhouse An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may also be used ...

) to provide privacy; and possibly a ring beam to protect the pit from collapsing. The pit should remain well above the

water table The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water. It can also be simply explained as the depth below which the ground is saturated. T ...

in the soil, so as to not

contaminate Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination Wi ...

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated ...

. The arborloo works by temporarily putting the slab and superstructure above a shallow pit while it fills. Feces, urine, paper, leaves, other materials for wiping, and potentially anal wash water all go into the pit. After each use, a cup of the excavated soil should be added to help to control smell and flies. When the pit is nearly full, the outhouse and slab are moved to a newly dug pit and the old pit is covered with some of the earth from the new pit and left to compost. A fruit tree or other useful vegetation is planted in the old pit, preferably during the rainy season. Feces are safely stored and converted in the soil, avoiding

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

transmission, and do not have to be processed or manipulated by anyone. Instead, fruits on trees are grown, fertilised by human excreta. The arborloo is a type of

dry toilet 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 a ...

. By using the nutrient-rich soil of a retired pit, the arborloo, in effect, treats feces as a resource rather than a waste product. Arborloos are used in rural areas of many

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

, for example in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ethiopia.

Design

The defecation pit may be circular or square and this may depend on the slab and superstructure. A circular pit is less likely to collapse. The pit of the arborloo is shallow (between 1 and 1.5 meters deep). Slab mounted over pit with ring beam (5372370329)

Slab mounted over pit with ring beam (5372370329)

If the pit is dug by hand it must have a diameter of at least 0.9 meters to accommodate effective digging. The floor should be at least 20 centimeters wider than the pit, to allow for its stability. If the floor is round and unattached to the outhouse, it can be rolled to the new pit. A roof is optional, especially if the floor is made such that rain runoff does not flow into the pit. The advantages of not making a roof include: more light, better ventilation, automatic rinsing with the rain, disinfection via solar ultraviolet radiation, reduced cost, and less weight.

References

External links

{{Permaculture Toilets Toilet types Phytoremediation plants Home composting Permaculture Sustainable building Sustainable technologies Bioremediation

Design

See also

References

External links