Sustainable Toilets for the Future
Brandon Volpicelli
“Green Toilet” https://www.coloradoboulevard.net/sustainable-toilets/
Introduction
This highly studied entity that follows with human existence is the necessity to defecate. As we know from lectures, it dates back to Egyptians excreting in the sand and has transformed to the water flushing toilet of the modern age. There have been many steps since then and there are many steps it must take in order to become more sustainable. I will briefly introduce the history, lead into how sustainable toilets work now, and end with where we can improve sustainability.
Brief History
The first iteration of the toilet we know today was invented in 1596 by Sir John Harrington in England and it dispenses the excrement into a cesspool (Antoniou 42). This is the first time a device moves the feces into another area. From this, Alexander Cummings made the second iteration with a new invention called the S-trap in 1775. This allowed water to sit in the pipe and block the sewer gasses from rising back into the space. From this point on the toilet transforms and multiplies in order to balance the needs of comfort to responding to sickness and disease. By the 1850’s sewers were being orchestrated and houses were required to have a form of water closet or toilet if a renovation or new project was built (Koolhaas 34). This then leads to more problems however. With every household having a toilet that flushes, water waste and the cost of water bills begin to rise. In fact, in 1872 in England, the Metropolis Water Act “forbids Londoners from keeping their toilets from constantly flushing– a common practice, turning the toilet into a fountain, wasting vast quantities of water” (Koolhaas 38).
Modern Age Sustainability
When thinking about how the modern era has pushed for toilet sustainability, the general consensus is reducing the amount of water used. The average toilet uses 1.6 GPF (gallons per flush) and reduction of this number would be greatly significant in the fight for sustainability (One Community Para. 8). One Community is an organization trying to make a difference in the sustainability world. They examine the best toilets they can find for reducing water use. The highest ranked device on their list is the Niagara Nano Dual Flush that has two different flushes, one being .8 GPF and the other .6 GPF (One Community Para. 9). This is incredible, nearly dropping the GPF by half and more. The second best being the Caroma Profile Smart 305 Dual Flush Toilet with Sink which is an extremely interesting design that has a sink on the back basin. This unit has the dual flush option as well with a high power being 1.28 GPF and a low of .8 GPF (One Community Para. 10). These designs greatly reduce the amount of water used in the modern age for sustainable design currently highlight the highest end of today’s toilets. However sustainable design in the future might not be so much about flushing with less water but more about separation of feces and urine from the water to be able to reuse the wastewater.
Future Sustainability
Sustainable toilet design needs to be a key factor when looking forward to overall sustainable design. Antoniou states, “the major global water and wastewater challenges are: population growth and urbanization including growth of small/medium size unplanned towns, use/consumption, competition between sectors, energy, climate change and/or variability, aging, deteriorating or outdated critical infrastructure”(45). Antoniou researched toilets that have a urine separating compartment in the front of the toilet. Possible for all genders to be able to use. This design allows the separation of the greywater from the urine and feces. The researched toilets were three different types, vacuum, urine separating, and spacecraft toilets. Each uniquely isolates the water from the excrement.
Reflection
This is the way we need to move forward as a growing society. Once the water is isolated it can then be cleaned and reused for gardening or other water bearing activities. The toilet is just the starting point of the movement. We as designers need to be thinking about this in our design. If we create one full net zero emissions and usage building that is great but completely useless when that building is sitting next to one hundred other buildings that use the maximum amount of utilities. Change needs to happen from more than one person trying to make a stance. By using toilets like these across the globe water usage will drastically fall and be one step to making a better environment for ourselves and our future.
Futuristic Toilet https://mikeshouts.com/kohler-high-tech-bathroom-products-for-2018/
Bibliography
Antoniou GP, De Feo G, Fardin F, Tamburrino A, Khan S, Tie F, Reklaityte I, Kanetaki E, Zheng XY, Mays LW, Angelakis AN. “Evolution of Toilets Worldwide through the Millennia.” Sustainability. 2016; 8(8):779. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8080779
Koolhaas, Rem. “Elements of Architecture.” Harvard Graduate School of Design. Pages 34-51. 2014.
One Community. Most Sustainable Toilets: Research, Water-saving, and User Feedback.” One Community for the Highest Good of All. Dec, 2018. https://www.onecommunityglobal.org/most-sustainable-toilets/