Issues vs Solutions
The Issue: Traditional pit toilets
Not only are pit toilets a health risk in Mongolia, they also pose environmental, and life-threatening risks as well. Roughly 600,000 traditional pit toilets can be found across the country. The depth of the pits range from 4 to 6 meters due to the need to have room for frozen piles during Mongolia’s long winter season.
Low-income families are heavily impacted by having pit toilets. Large volumes of feces underground pollute the environment and degrade the quality of the homeowners lawn/yard/land.
The soil degradation causes land devaluation which ultimately denies the owners access to affordable financial services. Banks are less likely to accept lands with traditional pit toilets as loan collateral. Even if it is accepted, it’s very likely that the valuation is much lower compared to lands without pit toilets.
Soil pollution is recorded in 88% of Ulaanbaatar’s land.
As a result of the problems caused by traditional pit toilets, Mongolians refrained from talking about – or even mentioning – toilets. The word and the concept itself have been stigmatized for years to the point where it has become a linguistic taboo.
Without first breaking the taboo,
there was no hope for change.
Our Solutions
Breaking the taboo.
On November 19, 2017, Local Solutions launched Oyungerel’s book titled
Let’s change our toilets where she introduced 15 toilet technologies, 10 toilet businesses and 7 examples of citizens’ involvement in sanitation policies in various counties. Although the book didn’t offer a toilet solution specific to the Mongolian environment, it became the main resource for LS’s nationwide toilet workshops.
A Local Solutions training team of 8-10 persons traveled 25,000 kilometers,
reaching all 21 provinces of Mongolia and all districts of Ulaanbaatar conducting
56 workshops for 5000 attendees in 2018. Each 8-hour workshop provided an opportunity for attendees to discuss toilet choices extensively and clarify Mongolians’ toilet choice preferences to the LS team.
Continuous public education.
As observed, the cultural taboo is being lifted
layer by layer in Mongolia. Local Solutions’ project “Let’s change our toilet” is the only public education project that is dedicated to furthering the public education on toilets till all the dangerous pit toilets are dismantled.
Provide Dry Toilets.
99.9% Voted for
Dry Toilets
As a result of our nationwide tour, we learned what people wanted: almost everyone of the 5000 attendees of our first year training voted for dry toilets. After extensive research on design, affordability, and effectiveness to change household toilets, urine diverting Biolan Simplett toilet was determined to be the solution. It is waterless, energy efficient*,and odorless. A dry toilet is energy efficient as it does not require a pipe to connect to the grid, and any parallel heating pipe to keep the urine and blackwater from freezing during winter.
Biolan Simplett is the cheapest on the market, 40% less than other toilets.
Annual maintenance cost is 10x cheaper than an emptiable outdoor toilet,
and 30x cheaper than a water closet connected to a septic tank.
Saves 300 liter water per household per day.
Portable design allows it to be placed indoors.
Use of sawdust and vent pipe makes it odorless.
Induce Behavior change .
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Urine diverting. One must sit on it to use.
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Solid waste is collected in a biodegradable bag to make it easy to clean and bury. (One must culturally accept and do this once in 3-4 weeks).
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Urine can be collected in a canister or directly connected to a greywater system. In the case of collecting in a canister, the urine should be emptied every week or so. (Urine collecting and damping requires behavior change)
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Sawdust should be added on stool to control odor and view. (this is a required behavior everyday)
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Mongolia’s constant wind helps manage odor quite well. The vent pipe should be tall.
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Mongolia’s soil is thin and dry. The land absorbs the organic waste. We recommend users not to disturb the buried area for a year.
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Once a user's family gets used to the new toilet, the old traditional toilet must be dismantled. (it usually takes 1-2 years for all members of a family to accept the new toilet and decide to dismantle the old toilet)
Induce Behavior change .
-
Urine diverting. One must sit on it to use.
-
Solid waste is collected in a biodegradable bag to make it easy to clean and bury. (One must culturally accept and do this once in 3-4 weeks).
-
Urine can be collected in a canister or directly connected to a greywater system. In the case of collecting in a canister, the urine should be emptied every week or so. (Urine collecting and damping requires behavior change)
-
Sawdust should be added on stool to control odor and view. (this is a required behavior everyday)
-
Mongolia’s constant wind helps manage odor quite well. The vent pipe should be tall.
-
Mongolia’s soil is thin and dry. The land absorbs the organic waste. We recommend users not to disturb the buried area for a year.
-
Once a user's family gets used to the new toilet, the old traditional toilet must be dismantled. (it usually takes 1-2 years for all members of a family to accept the new toilet and decide to dismantle the old toilet)
Mini Solutions Cooperative offers complementing sustainable products that help lead a more sustainable life. These products help keep the toilet price affordable, and lease-to-buy offers possible.
Create a Circular Economy.
Local Solutions conducts educational marketing (edu-marketing) for introducing various products that help create a circular economy. They are affordable, low-tech products for organic waste collecting, fermenting, composting and using them for soil improvement.
We also provide mentorship for individuals and SMEs on how to recycle organic waste and improve land.
Create regenerative circles.
Based on Mongolia's harsh climate features, high elevation, all-year round wind, Local Solutions developed 25 low-cost, effort-saving know-hows that will help regenerate soil and vegetations in the various landscape conditions.These know-hows are developed and shared for the public each growing season, i.e. during our summer program “Allergy-free yard”. Acquiring knowledge about improving soil helps change toilets in turn. Thanks to understanding of the life-cycle of vegetations, the stigma against organic waste, including toilet waste, is lifted. The more toilets are changed,the more people understand the land, the more soil will be fertilized and restored. And a healthy, regenerative circle will be created as a result.