Nikki Köhly hopes to host a street party soon, in order to acquaint her neighbours with a new feature in her front garden: a waterless toilet.
Nikki Köhly hopes to host a street party soon, in order to acquaint her neighbours with a new feature in her front garden: a waterless toilet.
And considering the average flusher uses 20 000 litres of water a year, with the amount of water Köhly is saving, there’s plenty of cause for celebration.
Köhly took the plunge and installed the environmentally- friendly loo on her property two months ago. Köhly, who is the Safety, Health and Environmental Officer at Rhodes University, has never felt right about the wastage of waterborne toilets.
“I find it highly offensive to send good drinking water to flush – its shows a lack of respect,” she said. Although the toilet is designed for conventional indoor use, Köhly decided to place it in her front garage to make it more accessible for individuals and groups who are curious about the innovation.
Last weekend the Grahamstown Botanical Society took a tour of her water-wise garden and had a look the new loo.
Doing business on a waterless toilet is no different from doing it on your average toilet in a home. The difference is what happens to it.
The liquid and solid waste is automatically separated, with the fluid immediately running down a slope and into a storage chamber.
The solid stuff falls on a conveyer belt at the bottom of a bowl and is eliminated with the simple action of winding a dial.
It is then conveyed to a separate, dehydration chamber. Sceptics, who have expressed concern about the odour of the aftermath, can take a deep breath of fresh air.
“By separating urine and faeces, you’re not getting the same rampant growth of micro-bacteria,” explains Köhly.
There is also windpowered extractor fan, which helps eliminate odours. Make no mistake, this clever system is a long way from being a long drop.
Not only is the waste significantly reduced to 5% of the original volume, ironically enough, not all of this matter is actually ‘wasted’.
The urine can be diluted and used to fertilise soil; and as for the solid stuff, once it’s been properly dehydrated, “you can dig it into the garden to condition the soil,” said Köhly.
Considering the shortage of water in Grahamstown, and with waterborne toilets accounting for approximately 40% of a household’s water consumption, flushing is hardly an intelligent option.
We need to take bold steps to conserve water, but this isn’t just the job of eccentric environmentalists, it’s all of our responsibility.
Residents like Köhly are paving a greener way themselves, while inviting others to explore more sustainable
solutions.
“I was keen to try it out in a home environment so it’s not seen as something you only set up in shacks in squatter camps,” Köhly said, who acknowledges that the work of change starts with altering people’s perceptions.
Köhly’s new toilet is as much as upgrade for the environment as it is for her conscience, “While you sit on the toilet you can look at the manhole of conventional sewage and think of what you’re saving,” said Köhly, smiling.
