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Discoblog
« When Art Gets Personal: Woman with Skin Disorder Makes Her Body a Canvas
Update: New Evidence That Tree Was Removed from Man’s Lung »

Not Subtle, But It Works: Peepoo Bag Converts Human Waste Into Fertilizer

peepoo1.jpgTaking recycling to a whole new level, the Peepoo bag allows you to, well, pee and poo in a bag, which can then be planted to help your garden grow. For slums in the developing world where human waste is an unregulated nightmare and flying toilets are common practice, the bag provides a means of waterless sewage disposal and organic fertilizer all in one easy, biodegradable step.

The bag is lined with Urea, a common fertilizer that breaks down urine and feces into ammonia and carbonate. Pathogens in the waste, including viruses, bacteria and parasites, are killed within anywhere from a matter of hours to several weeks.

The pH value increases as the material is broken down, and plants eat up the ammonia byproduct as the bag degrades in the soil. At the moment, the Peepoo bag is made from 45 percent renewable materials, but the developers are striving to get to 100 percent. And boy, did they do their homework: They even calculated the expected nutrients from the average person in sub-Saharan Africa, and converted that into estimates of how much fertilizer can be produced. Now, all that’s left to do is keep peeing (and pooping), and start planting!

Related Content:
Discoblog: Agriculture of Hard Knocks: Ex-Cons Start Organic Farm in Kenyan Slum
Discoblog: Celebrities Sell Cars, Beer, Clothes…and Toilet Use?
DISCOVER: Sludge: The New Fertilizer

Image: Peepoople

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April 15th, 2009 3:53 PM Tags: developing world technologies, Kenya, pollution, sewage
by Amos Zeeberg (Discover Web Editor) in Pollution Solutions (& Disasters), Scat-egory | 8 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

  • http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2009/07/20/toilet-on-iss-goes-awry-leaving-13-astros-using-1-backup/ Toilet on ISS Goes Awry, Leaving 13 Astros Using 1 Backup | Discoblog | Discover Magazine

    [...] Content: Discoblog: Not Subtle, But It Works: Peepoo Bag Converts Human Waste Into Fertilizer Discoblog: LOLScienz: Toilit Discoblog: The Miracle Liquid that Cleans Toilets, Treats Burns, and [...]

  • http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2009/08/05/brazilians-urged-to-pee-in-the-shower-to-conserve-water/ Brazilians Urged to Pee in the Shower to Conserve Water | Discoblog | Discover Magazine

    [...] Content: Discoblog: Not Subtle, But It Works: Peepoo Bag Converts Human Waste Into Fertilizer Discoblog: Agriculture of Hard Knocks: Ex-Cons Start Organic Farm in Kenyan Slum Discoblog: [...]

  • http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2009/10/27/new-ink-remover-may-be-key-to-recycling-office-paper/ New Ink-Remover May Be Key to Recycling Office Paper | Discoblog | Discover Magazine

    [...] Content: Discoblog: Not Subtle, But It Works: Peepoo Bag Converts Human Waste Into Fertilizer Discoblog: Newspapers May Be Dying, But Their Corpses Could Reduce Toxic Waste Discoblog: Today’s [...]

  • vasudha Gupta

    Who manufactures these bags? How much do they cost? Are they only available in Africa/

  • Ami

    What is the solution if wasste is of about 200 people and septic tank overflows on a regular basis?

  • http://rahulbrown.wordpress.com rb

    The Peepoo bag will not work in the context of Indian slums.

    Check out the analysis here.

    http://rahulbrown.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/will-the-peepoo-disposable-toilet-work-for-indian-slums/

  • http://www.dailydoseofcommonsense.com/2010/03/15/the-peepoo-bag/ Daily Dose of Common Sense » The PeePoo Bag

    [...] town with fancy city-run sewage. But, think about third-world countries who struggle with the human waste issue every day. For slums in the developing world where human waste is an unregulated nightmare and [...]

  • Traveler

    Definitely not usable in slums that have no place to plant. This is a good option for farmers who have land though, which is a situation in a lot of Asian countries. With a little help from governments, these farmers can eke out a living and help the food industry of the country.





    • About the Blog

      Discoblog is DISCOVER's compendium of quirky, funny, and surprising science news from the edge of the known universe. It's written by Veronique Greenwood and Valerie Ross. Email tips and suggestions to vgreenwood [at] discovermagazine [dot] com.

      Discoblog also includes the daily feature NCBI ROFL, in which two prone-to-distraction grad students post real scientific articles with funny subjects. Email your tips to ncbirofl [at] gmail.com. Follow the ROFL feed here.

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