The quest to ensure sustainable management of sanitation for the informal dwellers went a notch higher after a youth organization invented an affordable and modern eco friendlier toilet.
Vera Adhiambo Okumu, Director and Operation Manager at Sunwise Technologies said the eco-toilet was made using a set of plastics. The walls are made using 60 percent of crashed glass bottles and mixed with 40 percent sand to minimize the exploration of the already dilapidating natural resources like sand mining which has become a menace.
She told KNA that the youth organization was formed with the objective to research on simple and affordable sanitation Management practices to promote ecological sanitation saying
“The tray collects human waste and inside it, we load it with Black Soldiers Fly (BSF) larvae which is a non-pest insect. The maggots we get when keep the BSF colony that lays eggs that are used to feed into the toilet to hatch and process the waste matter” She explained
She said the BSF maggots were strategically placed to eat and sterilize human waste to produce crass. After 14 days of their life cycle, we harvest the maggots before they turn into a fly, then we cede again as a continuous process,’’ clarified
Okumu who holds a degree in Public Health and a Masters in Sanitation both from Meru
University expressed fears that lack of employment among the youth and poor sanitation motivated the group to explore such avenues.
“We developed the eco toilet concept waste management which is a bio-converter toilet; with a container just below the substructure which has a tray. We understand our needs and technology converts waste into a resource and a source of income,’ he added.
Okumu in an interview at the organizations Incubation Centre offices located at the Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (KIWASCO) Plant in Kasagam-Kisumu East attests that the by-products are beneficial and environmentally friendly.
She said based on their piloting and research, they know how much they should load the larvae and how long they should check the progress because the byproducts are a cell conditioner and produce rich biomass of the larvae which can be used as animal feed formulations.
“They have come to see our prototype toilet here and checked how it works. There is no smell in our toilets using this technology because the black soldier fly doesn’t give room for fermentation which promotes the smell. You can even relax beside it without smelling any bad odour,” Ouko clarified.
By Rolex Omondi