When Nature Calls

Today's blog will be in honour of World Toilet Day which took place this week on Monday 19th November. This discussion follows on from last weeks blog which focused on the issues and struggles for those poorest in Africa who did not have access to a modern flushable toilet.

World Toilet Day is about nature-based solutions to our sanitation needs. A report conducted by the World Health Organisation states that 4.5 billion people do not have access to a safe toilet. The dedicated day helps to bring awareness to the fact that the world is NOT on track to meet the sustainable development goal of availability and sustainable management of sanitation and water for all by 2030.

So what are the obstacles between the wastewater management and sanitation provisions?

In the case of Accra, the capital of Ghana, where sanitation is "described as unsatisfactory".Accra produces approximately 2,500 tons per day of municipal solid waste(AMA, 2014). Out of this waste, 67% is organic and 20% plastic and rubber illustrated in Table 1. This high percentage of organic waste is not disposed of properly due to no collection service provided by the government. If organic waste is removed efficiently, it can be recycled and used as compost and fertiliser. However, dumping of this waste does not just add to landfill sites but also increases the harmful carbon in the atmosphere. 

Table 1: Table to show the waste composition in Accra, Ghana
Source: AMA,2014

Owusu, 2010  article accounts this poor sanitation provision and lack of waste management in Accra as a result of:

• A poor conceptualisation of sanitation
• Lack of adequate sanitary facilities
• Ignorance and irresponsibility of individuals
• Lack of community action 
• The rapid growth of unauthorised temporary structures
• Lack of budgetary allocation for sanitation

In an attempt to overcome the above issues the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA ) have begun new initiatives and projects to tackle the lack of sanitation provisions. As described in a Conference on the management of public and community toilets in the city in 2009 "shit is business". This new social innovation to create an effective waste management solution in Africa creates new economic opportunity and investments from new players.

The AMA projects include the construction of an engineered landfill provision of different sanitary tools and equipment and the development of sewage treatment plants. Argued as a key project,  the pay as you throw(PAYT) initiative has statistically shown to decrease illegal dumping and successfully distributed 98,000 waste bins to households in 2010. However, even though the steps are made to change the waste system in Accra 60% of households have not been given waste bins and still in need of an effective waste management system. This case study can stress the importance of the need for new ways of waste management.

The World Toilet day is a great way to increase knowledge on why fundraising and recognition are needed to provided sanitation provision globally. I would like to end this blog on the shaming fact that in today's world more people have access to a mobile phone (87%) than access to a safe toilet (63%) - UN, 2013. This for me shows how there has been a shift in importance from the human right to have a safe toilet to the availability and access to advancing technology. I think if the world can make a mobile phone so affordable then a basic flushable toilet should be just as accessible.