No waste, but a resource: Alternative approaches to urban sanitation in Ethiopia

To overcome the drawbacks of conventional sanitation systems, new approaches to sanitation are necessary. Human faeces and urine as well as greywater represent potential resources requiring efficient management. Thus, source-separating systems, which safe water and allow the recycling of nutrients to agriculture, can provide an alternative. These systems can even be integrated into multi-storey houses, therefore addressing the need for resource-efficient sanitation in new condominium housing programmes. Several urine-separating facilities are implemented in Ethiopia showing a high acceptance by their users. The cost comparison between source-separating systems and the conventional system for condominium houses shows an advantage for the new approach due to savings of water for toilet flushing as well as reduced costs for the treatment of the mixed wastewater in septic tanks. The use of human urine as fertiliser in several trials resulted in significant benefits in terms of improved crop growth.

The projected implementation of water-less, urineseparating toilets in the governmental housing programs in Ethiopia is showing an alternative approach for resource-efficient sanitation even in multi-storey buildings. This strategy creates a strong link between sanitation and agriculture and contributes to food security as well as employment generation with regard to micro and small enterprises operating and managing the sanitation system. Experiences with regard to the use of the toilets and the use of human excreta products in agriculture to this day are promising and encourage the further dissemination of this technology.