The Peepoo bag – an upgrade to the flying toilet issue:
The Peepoo bag is a biodegradable bioplastic bag “that sanitise the human excreta shortly after the defecation, preventing the faeces from contaminating the immediate as well as the larger environment”. It’s clearly aimed at current users of flying toilets (~ defecate in a bag during the night or at dawn and throw it away), which is why Peepoople are currently testing it in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya.
2008 is almost closing and with all that terror and stupidity we’ve seen in the world, I’ve? asked myself about the impact of the International Year of Sanitation which was set up by the UNSGAB for 2008 and whether it actually changed anything to the better.
What about you? Have you thought about or improved your sanitary facilities? Do you have a proper toilet at home and at work? Yes?
Am asking because my (former) colleagues at work actually tested these bags and – not being used to the Flying Toilet system – came up with a list of pros and cons regarding this “technology”:
pro
- good for temporary / emergency situations
- may be used at home at night
- allows for a sanitization within a short time and prevents odours
- polyethylene (PE) bag decomposes into carbon and hydrogen compounds after about ~ 80 days
- relatively low cost
cons
- no permanent nor sustainable solution
- plastic bag may be too thin + too small
- ammonia gas may leak from torn bags & will become an immediate public health problem
- bag system is patented => how do you prevent fake (= non biodegradable) bags?
Turns out I am the only person in the office who thinks this may be an improvement to the people in Kibera.
What do YOU think? Will this be an interesting alternative for over-populated areas such as Kibera?
[UPDATE]: There’s a follow-up to this post on Saniblog.