Inspiration Our inspiration for creating dry toilets seems to come from the global sanitation crisis, especially in refugee camps and small rural communities.
What it does
- Provide safe sanitation – It gives households, rural communities, and refugee camps a private, hygienic alternative to open defecation.
- Work without water – Since it’s waterless, it doesn’t need plumbing or permanent infrastructure.
- Collect and cover waste – Waste is captured in a biodegradable bag or box and covered with soil, sawdust, or other material to reduce smell and bacteria.
- Turn waste into a resource – Full containers can decompose safely into nutrient-rich soil that can be reused for gardening or agriculture.
- Be portable and affordable – Easy to set up inside a small privacy tent, it’s lightweight, low-cost, and accessible for children, the elderly, and women.
How we built it Our toilet is safe and comfortable, placed inside a small privacy tent with a seat for children and the elderly, and people with limited mobility. It uses a biodegradable bag, no water, no splash, and fewer bacteria, while keeping odors low. Lightweight and low-cost, it’s portable, easy to clean, and a sustainable solution for rural areas and refugee camps.
Challenges we ran into One challenge was time—we started only a week before the deadline but still managed to collaborate and finish.
Accomplishments that we're proud of • Created a working prototype – We successfully built a simple, low-cost dry toilet that functions without water or plumbing. • Improved accessibility – The seat design makes it easier for children, women, and the elderly to use compared to squat or shared toilets. • Promoted hygiene and safety – Our design reduces health risks from open defecation while also giving users dignity and privacy. • Designed for sustainability – The system turns human waste into compostable material, helping communities reuse resources.
What we learned We learned how important it is to design simple, sustainable solutions that protect health and dignity.
Built With
- blender
- canva
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