7. Market size matters

Against a backdrop of rapid urbanization, expected to see the number of people living in informal settlements double to two billion by 2030, it’s unlikely that we will reach the SDG of achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all without a viable, high-quality alternative to piped sanitation. Uniquely suited to the challenges of densely populated areas that lack access to sewers and other on-site sanitation systems, container based sanitation (CBS) has the potential to be just such an alternative — provided it can be demonstrated as financially viable and capable of being replicated to a scale deserving of recognition as an improved sanitation facility. The CBS model is built around provision of stand-alone toilets, which store waste in sealable, removable cartridges. Those cartridges are safely removed, without exposing residents or workers to the waste, and taken to a treatment or resource recovery center for processing and cleaning.

Last update: October 05, 2023