SOIL Research Published in the Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development

[box]Thermophilic co-composting of human wastes in Haiti. Preneta, N., S. Kramer, B. Magloire, J.M. Noel. 2013. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. Available at www.iwaponline.com/washdev/up/washdev2013145.htm.[/box] Diarrhea kills 2,195 children every day—more than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined (CDC 2013). Increasing access to safe drinking water reduces the incidences of diarrheal infections, but the only truly effective long-term solution to this public health crisis is to increase access to sanitation. Unfortunately, researchers, development workers, and governments have continually failed to solve this global public health emergency. Access to improved sanitation remains one of the most under-realized Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations, with 2.5 billion people (36% of the global population) still lacking access to a toilet (WHO/UNICEF, 2013). And overall an estimated 4.1 billion people do not have access to a sanitation system that includes waste treatment (Baum et al., 2013).

A recent research paper by SOIL published in the Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development hopes to assist with the global fight to change this reality by conducting rigorous research into viable alternatives. In “Thermophilic Co-Composting of Human Wastes in Haiti”, SOIL’s Nick Preneta, Sasha Kramer, Baudeler “Bobo” Magloire, and Jean-Marie Noel discuss how SOIL’s low-cost, composting waste treatment facilities present a viable and safe alternative to traditional, costly and resource-heavy sewage treatment operations. This paper joins the other SOIL publications (available on our Resources page) in increasing access to life-saving knowledge about improved sanitation systems that can have a true and lasting impact.

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