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The PeePoo Bag: 2.6 billion people just got their own toilet

By Allan Chochinov - March 13, 2009

in Materials

Coming off our review of The Big Necessity, we were inspired by a recent email concerning the PeePoo, a plastic bag-cum-toilet for the developing world. So we got in touch with the co-designer of the device, Peter Thuvander, to provide some first-hand reflections on the project. Here's Peter:

It could be that the cruel reality of shit has escaped you. To let you in on the numbers, approximately 2.6 billion people lack sanitation. The consequences of this are horrific. One child in the world dies every 15 seconds due to contaminated water. If there ever was a holy grail of design and technology, this is it.

When long-time client (and now friend) Anders Wilhelmson, the famous Swedish architect), presented a vision of a world-changing system of sanitation, he was extremely passionate: "What if one could shit or pee in a bag? A bag that would sanitize the feces, and then later on break down itself, all becoming manure?"

"Well, yes Anders, that would be fantastic, but how?" I replied. At first we didn't have a clue how to turn his idea into reality. Luckily, it turns out that Sweden is the centre of ecological sanitation for the developing world. After a year or so of stuttering development, we got in contact with Bjorn Vinneras and Annika Nordin at SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences). They were doing some hard research into sanitation via urea (a substance commonly used as fertilizer). Urea works by raising the PH level and thus killing of the pathogens. Later on, we collaborated with plastics expert Mikael Hedenqvist at the KTH (Royal Institute of Technology). With Anders and me doing the design and product development of the physical bag, and project manager Camilla Wirsen, we had formed a group that could tackle this problem...a beautiful combination of design, science and vision.

Now three years later, The Peepoo bag is currently being large-scale tested. One field test is already complete in Kibera, Kenya, with really positive response. Several large companies such as BASF, national development agencies, and The UNSG's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation are promoting it. At this point is time, it looks like the function, pricing and economic aspects are all falling into place.

I feel so privileged to be a part of something so challenging and beneficial as this project. My belief is that this will work.

To find out more, visit www.peepoople.com, and visit Peter's site at www.peterthuvander.se. He promises to keep us updated on the project.

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jessica

14 years ago

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I agree with the idea, but the fact is it will cost too much right now; I myself am a maker of compostable bags, they can be 100%decomposed within 90 days as composted. the price is much higher than common PE bags.
and we usually sell to developed countries as pet waste bag, for the master woulnd like to pay that much for their dogs, but who will pay for poor people in UN-DEVELOPED country without sanitation
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Chris Tolles

14 years ago

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Sounds very interesting, but two critical aspects of this intervention seem to be:

1. Cultural appropriateness. Human waste is a deeply culturally entrenched concept. How would such a product be introduced into communities that have to rethink their entire tradition of using the bathroom? How is using a bag as a toilet going to be normalized across cultures?

2. Financial viability. This is absolutely not a "solution" to hygiene, in that it is a chronic-cost approach. Absolutely, sometimes problems need short-term solutions. But any non-permanent solution must be positioned as part of a permanent solution. Who foots the endless bill of buying these bags forever?

Ultimately, no problems are ever solved by an object alone. How can such an apparently innovative, promising idea be positioned to make a lasting impact?
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Daniel H

15 years ago

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What a brilliant idea. (Shouldn't the title of this be 2.6 billion, not 2.6?)
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Shalin

15 years ago

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How clever - take the "helicopter toilet" idea and make it useful or at least more "environmentally-closed-loop"!

Similar to the blue nets to protect against mosquitoes w/malaria - one can buy a gross of these for donation!

--S
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Hughmama

15 years ago

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This is freaking cool. Why not sell more expensive versions to western trampers and especially mountain climbers who, if they are behaving responsibly, typically carry their own excrement off the mountain?
I have friends who are climbers and they would absolutely love this.
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