Millions of slum dwellers have to struggle for a clean toilet but there is no solution. Most free community toilets built by the government are rendered unusable because of the lack of maintenance.

According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) data, an estimated 400,000 children under five years of age die each year due to diarrhoea and other infections caused by poor sanitation and hygiene which is largely because of open defecation of waste that contaminates drinking water.

But, now a Swedish firm has come out with a solution – Peepoo, a biodegradable toilet bag that is easy to use and hygienic. It can be used as fertiliser.

The Peepoo is clean from the beginning and doesn’t smell after use and very importantly, it makes collection of waste very easy,” Camila Wirseen said.

“It works like micro treatment plant and cuts the contamination. This will save lives.”

“Peepoo is not just a toilet bag, it’s a solution to human waste disposal problem, the biggest obstacle to sanitation and public health in developing countries like India.” Wilhelmson said in an email interview from Stockholm.

“It will be of great help particularly for women, who often wait all day until it is dark to go to the toilet, increasing their chances of infections.”

Describing Peepoo’s other features, the officials said the bioplastic bag can be used as fertiliser, which is an expensive and scarce commodity in countries like India.

Once used, the 14x38 cm slim elongated bag can be knotted and buried under the earth. With a layer of urea crystals, the waste can turn into fertiliser, killing off disease-producing pathogens found in faeces.

“Not only is it sanitary, they can reuse this to grow crops,” Wilhelmson said.

“You can use it directly in a small container or Garden-in-a-Sack. It can also be processed and mixed with topsoil and loam (clay+sand) creating a soil filled with nutrients.”

About the cost of the bag, the officials said, it will be comparable to the price of polythenes used to collect garbage.

The innovation will prove highly beneficial to control the situation, Wilhelson said, adding that his organisation (Peepoople A has carried out a small ground test in Bihar and “the response was overwhelming".

The toilet bag, which has recently undergone field trials in India, Bangladesh and Kenya, is expected to help mitigate the dreadful situation for millions, especially the women in the slum areas,

The market for low-cost toilets in the developing world is about a trillion dollars, according the World Toilet Organization, a sanitation advocacy group, which has been organising World Toilet Summit ever year since 2001.

Adopted from an article (courtesy): http://tinyurl.com/yk3pkjb