DESIGN

PROFILE:
Composting Latrine

Self-contained

Country: Cambodia
Dates: 5th December 19th December
Community Partner: CRDT
Group member names & university:
Caitlin Keating Curtin University
Lawrence Goh University of Queensland
Anh Nguyen Monash University
Rob Vacca Murdoch University

Context:
The Kbal Ko Village is located on Koh Chraeng Island in the Mekong River in the Kratie Province
of Cambodia. Only 20% of the village population has access to latrines. The style of latrine
widely used is the Easy Latrine, which consists of a concrete ring buried in the ground. There
is an abundance of bamboo that can be used as building material. In addition, the village is prone
to flooding and high water levels, especially in the wet season.
Design Challenge:
There is a lack of latrines in the village because of this open defecation is a problem, human
waste contains a lot of pathogens and bacteria that can pose a serious health risk. The latrines
that have been built are a style that is less suitable for an environment that is more prone to
flooding and high water levels. The already existing latrines hold the risk of contaminating the
bore water that the village uses as their drinking water supply.

Picture of the context/ design challenge

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Design Principles:
Functionality:
The design addresses the problem that 20% of the village population does not have access
to their own latrine. The design also includes an exterior water tank that can be used for
bucket showering and hand washing. This caters to the villagers that consider privacy and
accessibility to be very important.
Form:
A physical design of a self-contained composting latrine.
Concept design: Compost latrine that separates urine for evaporation and faeces to be used
as fertilizer.
Current design: A bamboo wall and roof (plus straw) infrastructure on top of a concrete
platform with stairs.
Materials:
The materials used in our design include:
- Bamboo
- Concrete
- Fishing net
- Mosquito net
- PVC pipe
- Bricks
- Wood
- Ceramic bowl
- Rope/string
- Hinges
- Sand
- Tarp
- Coconut palm fronds
Cost:
By interviewing the villagers, it was found that the average household was willing to pay
anywhere between $200 - $1000 for a toilet system with an inbuilt bucket shower and hand
sanitizer system. Furthermore, they were reluctant to purchase a cheap and simple latrine
system instead they prefer to save up for a longer period of time to build a more long-term
structure. By constructing the latrine system out of more local materials we reduced our
current latrine design to approximately $100. Our design can also be easily scaled up over
time to the stakeholders needs.
Sustainability:
- The current composting latrine design system is environmentally sustainable. The
human waste contained in the latrine system is converted to a sterile product that
can be used as fertilizer.
- In order to be successfully implemented our design will have to overcome social
challenges. The community members will have to regularly maintain the latrine
system at a period of time.

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The design is environmentally sustainable as a majority of the superstructure will be

made out of local materials that can be recycled.
Picture of Design Solution:
-

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Describe the design solution:

The self-contained composting latrine is an aerobic double vault composting toilet. It is able
to be used in tropical environments and can achieve zero-discharge sanitation with low
maintenance requirements. Our design consists of a net (for separating solids) that hangs
from a bamboo frame (tied up via ropes) and held up by hinges.
The design works by faeces falling onto a mat woven from coconut palm fronds that rest on
top of a nylon fishing net suspended inside a chamber. With this, the faeces and urine are
able to be separated from one another. The urine that is separated, drops to the floor and is
evaporated via airflow. To start the decomposition process of the faeces, organic matter
(soil etc.) must be placed on top of the mat. Furthermore, to prevent any foul smell within
the system, sawdust must be placed after defecation.
The latrine is contained in a superstructure that sits on top of a concrete base surrounded
by a brick wall. The superstructure also contains bamboo walls, ventilation pipes and a roof
made out of wood. Stairs lead to the doorway of the superstructure for easy access to the
latrine. At the back of the concrete base (surrounded by bricks) there are maintenance
doors for easy removal when decomposition of the faeces is complete. Inside the
superstructure, there are two ceramic toilet bowls. When one chamber is filled up, the
alternative chamber can be used and a toilet cover can be placed on top of the already-full
chamber. Since our latrine system is a 2 in 1 design (shower and toilet design), there is an
internal water tank so that the users can have a bucket shower within the superstructure.
Any excess water runs through the drains on the sides of the wall.

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Critical Evaluation of the Design

The 80% of community members that do not have latrines would use our design. It is especially
for women and children that have privacy and safety concerns. After the design has been
prototyped and piloted it may be implemented into the community. An education aspect will be
required to teach the community members about the safety risks and the correct way to
maintain the system. The community members will have to regularly empty the fertilizer from
the latrine which will require behavioural change. The education aspect may also help with this.
The estimated cost of the design is approximately $100.
Define success for the project:
Our design will be considered successful if the community decides if it is a suitable design for their village.
In addition, the project will be a success if the community members are educated in a way so that they
can construct and maintain the system safely.

Recommendations and Next Steps

The next steps to this design are:
More research on environmental factors such as humidity and flood levels that affect the
design
Feedback from community members on how we could make the maintenance of the
latrine more socially acceptable
Prototyping and piloting
Educational workshops and meetings with the village chief and women
Follow up reports from CRDT and EWB to see if the latrines are being successfully
implemented and are working properly whilst keeping to cultural contexts

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