126 Building Toilets
Dry toilets help local economy
In several towns in Morelos, Mexico, many
people use ecological dry toilets. One
neighborhood called La Cienega has a
special need for dry toilets because it is in
a wet, lowland area where pit toilets get
flooded. To solve the problem, members
of the community bought a special kind
of toilet bowl that separates urine from
feces. These toilet bowls are built locally in small workshops with
several local workers. The workers train community groups how to
use these new toilet bowls.
Many people in La Cienega make a living by growing and selling fruit
trees and other plants. The first people in the neighborhood to use dry toilets
discovered they could use the urine and compost from their toilets as fertilizer
for the trees. When their neighbors saw the trees grow big and healthy, they
too wanted to try these new toilets that give free fertilizer.
Now, almost everyone in La Cienega uses these toilets. The local workshop is
busy making them, and the community has grown both healthier and wealthier.
Simple compost toilet for tree planting
This toilet makes fertilizer for planting trees. It is simple to build, and is made
so the shelter can be moved when the pit is full.
This toilet is best where there is space and a desire to plant trees. It is also
good for places with high groundwater, because the pit is shallow. Covering the
toilet pit with soil and planting a tree there helps to decompose the waste.
This is a great way to start an orchard of fruit trees or other useful trees.
If you do not plan to plant trees, use a different type of toilet.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012