VITA TECHNICAL BULLETIN
COMPOSTING PRIVY
by Harlan H.D. ATTFIELD
Illustrated by Marine F.
Maspero
The
composting privy described here consists of a covered pit and a
shelter.
When the pit is full, the shelter is taken
down, the pit
covered, and
a new pit prepared. The first pit,
after an interval of
at least six
months, yields compost that can be used to fertilize
fields.
This Bulletin
gives guidelines for digging the pit, preparing the
floor,
building the shelter, adding other composting materials, and
moving
locations when the pit is full.
Although prepared for use in
Bangladesh,
this privy could be constructed anywhere in the world.
It is low in
cost, easy to build, and requires no special materials.
It can be
designed to meet a number of cultural requirements.
Harlan H. D.
Attfield, the author, has been associated with VITA as
an expert
Volunteer for many years and is the author of a number of
books and
articles, including Raising Rabbits, which is published by
VITA.
Revised July 1981
ISBN 0-86619-087-2
VOLUNTEERS IN TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
1600 WILSON BOULEVARD, SUITE
500
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22209, USA
COMPOSTING
PRIVY
The material,
as shown here, has been adapted from a booklet prepared
by Harlan H.
D. Attfield as part of an innovative and meaningful
approach to
community development underway in Bangladesh.
The Sylhet
Package Program, as this effort is called, is funded by
International
Voluntary Services, Inc. (IVS), a US-based, private
development
organization, in cooperation with three local agencies--the
Rural Development
Training Institute, the Bangladesh Rural
Advancement
Committee, and the Government's Integrated Rural Development
Program.
In summary,
the "Package" project involves extension work to promote
production of
vegetables, high-yielding rice, fish, and ducks;
health and
family planning; functional education; and cooperative
development.
The
composting privy is recommended when compost is needed for
gardening.
When built correctly, it should help deter
spread of
disease germs
through the nearby water system and it should not
attract flies
or provide a breeding area for flies.
The plans
here call for a dirt floor, but if funds are available, it
is
recommended that a cement floor be used.
This will offer the most
complete
protection against hookworm and other diseases.
The
composting privy can be built with one pit for a family or with
two or more
pits for a school, camp, or other concern having a need
for more than
one pit.
All that is
needed to build a composting privy is:
bamboo poles; a
woven mat or
gunny sacks; a piece of plastic; leaves, paper, or
straw; a
small piece of wood; and long grass or corrugated iron
sheets.
This open
latrine
is a killer.
<FIGURE
1>
54p02a.gif (600x600)
Every year
thousands of
children and
adults die
from cholera,
fever, and
dysentery
germs that
live in open
latrines.
<FIGURE
2>
54p02b.gif (600x600)
These
diseases are
carried into
our homes
by flies,
rainwater,
and animals.
<FIGURE
3>
54p03a.gif (600x600)
This is a
composting
privy.
The covered pit
stops flies,
rainwater,
and animals
from carrying
disease germs
into
our homes.
<FIGURE
4>
54p03b.gif (600x600)
The compost
privy can be
used if our
home is on
high land,
where the pit
will not fill
with water.
<FIGURE
5>
54p04a.gif (600x600)
We would all
have
better health
if
everyone in
our
village built
a
compost
privy.
Why not build
one
today!
<FIGURE
6>
54p04b.gif (600x600)
The following
instructions are designed for a pit for use by six to
eight people,
for a period of ten to twelve months.
Dig a pit
45" wide, 50"
long, and
72" deep. Place
four round
bamboo poles,
at least
70" long, over
the pit as
shown. Place a
bamboo pole
into the
ground at
least 8" away
from each
corner of the
pit.
These will be the
supports for
the walls
and the roof.
<FIGURE
7>
54p05a.gif (486x486)
Line the
bottom of the
pit with
18" of grass
cuttings,
fine leaves,
paper, or
straw.
<FIGURE
8>
54p05b.gif (540x540)
Cover the
floor poles with half-rounds of bamboo, leaving a hole
approximately
6" X 13", in the middle of the floor.
<FIGURE
9>
54p06.gif (540x540)
Leaving the
floor hole
uncovered,
place old
woven mats or
gunny
sacks over
the half-rounds
of bamboo.
<FIGURE
10>
54p07a.gif (540x540)
Cover
everything but the
floor hole
with well
packed
earth. The floor
can be raised
as much as
20"
above the ground, if
flooding is a
problem.
<FIGURE
11>
54p07b.gif (540x540)
A piece of
plastic
such as an
old fertilizer
bag (opened
out) can be
placed
over the
hole.
Place a woven
mat
over the
plastic in
the middle of
the
floor.
This will
help keep the
area
around the
hole
cleaner,
drier, and
more
attractive.
<FIGURE
12>
54p08a.gif (540x540)
The floor
hole will
need a
tight-fitting,
fly-proof
cover with
a
handle. You can
make this
with a
piece of wood
or by
tying
together several
pieces of
woven
mat plastered
with
mud or
cowdung.
<FIGURE
13>
54p08b.gif (540x540)
The walls
(and a door, if
desired) can
be made with
woven mats,
gunny sacks,
tree leaves,
or long
grass.
Leave at least 4"
between the
top of the
walls and the
roof to
allow for
proper ventilation.
The roof can
be
made with
tree leaves,
long grass,
or corrugated
iron
sheets. The composting
privy is now
finished
and ready to
be used.
<FIGURE
14>
54p09a.gif (600x600)
Every five to
seven
days, throw a
few
handfuls (or
more) of
grass
cuttings or
small leaves
into the
pit.
This simple
routine will
prevent
bad odors and
improve
the pit's
contents
for later use
as a
fertilizer.
<FIGURE
15>
54p09b.gif (600x600)
When the
pit's contents
reach a level
of 18"
below the surface
of the
ground,
dig a new pit
at
least 5-6'
away and
move all the
old bamboo
pieces over
to
it.
Then place 6" of
leaves or
grass in
the first pit
and
level it with
12" of
well packed
earth.
<FIGURE
16>
54p10a.gif (540x540)
In
approximately six
months, when
the
second pit is
full,
the first pit
can be
uncovered and
the
compost
(fertilizer)
removed.
It will provide
a good
fertilizer
that can be
applied
immediately
or stored for
later
use.
BUT REMEMBER!
The compost
will not
be safe to
use unless
the pit has
been
allowed to
"rest" for
at least six
months.
<FIGURE
17>
54p10b.gif (600x600)
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER
1.
It is good to have the privy close to the
house so that it will
be used, but not too close.
If the privy's pit enters the ground
water level, or comes close to it when the
water is at its highest
level, disease germs will spread to the
water and endanger
people's health.
2.
Place the privy downhill (below) and at
least 50' away from the
source of people's drinking and bathing
water.
3.
Urine and cleansing water should be the only
liquid to enter the
pit.
The privy is not to be used for general bathing.
4.
The weekly routine of adding grass and
leaves to the pit will
reduce odors and improve the quality of
the finished compost.
Animal manure, wood ash, garbage (except
plastic, glass, and
metal), and urine soaked straw can also be
added.
5.
The cover for the floor hole is the main
barrier against flies
and animals that carry disease.
Be sure everyone who uses the
privy is instructed to cover the hole
before leaving. Children
must be supervised from time to time.
Foot rests can be used,
but the floor hole cover should be made to
fit tightly between
them, closing the hole completely.
Removable rests (bricks or
bamboo) are best so the floor mat can be
removed occasionally
and dried in the sun.
6.
It is good to have openings at least 4"
wide at the top of the
privy's structural walls for airing the
interior.
7.
The privy structure will have to be moved
when the pit is
filled.
This should be made easy or there will be people who
will let the pit become too full.
This will result in very
unsanitary conditions and extra work to
put the privy in proper
working order.
8.
The time necessary for the pit's contents to
reach a level of
18" below the surface of the ground
depends on the number of
people using it and the amount of grass
and other materials
added each week.
The composting privy shown in this Bulletin can
be used by six to eight persons.
If grass and other materials
are added on a weekly basis, the pit will
fill in slightly less
than one year.
If the composting privy is used without the
addition of other materials, it becomes a
simple "pit privy" and
may last for three or more years.
9.
For privies in markets, camps, schools, and
along the roadside,
the pit can be dug to a depth of
8-10'. It is also possible to
make the whole pit size larger and divide
the floor area into
two rooms with two floor holes.
At schools, separate privies are
usually constructed:
one for boys, and one for girls.
It is
important that someone take charge of
placing leaves and other
materials in the pit if good quality
compost is desired.
VITA
1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite
500
Arlington, Virginia 22209
USA
Tel:
703/276-1800 * Fax:
703/243-1865
Internet:
pr-info@vita.org
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