Does "Low Cost" Urban Sanitation Exist? Lessons from a Global Data Set.

In this paper, we report results from, and demonstrate the value of, a global database for the collection and aggregation of reliable and comparable cost data for urban sanitation systems as they are built and operated on the ground (rather than the "as planned" costs that are often reported). We show that no particular "mode" of urban sanitation (for example "sewered sanitation" or "fecal sludge management") can be meaningfully described as "low cost" when compared to other modes. We show that economies of scale may operate for systems that transport waste from pits and sealed tanks by road as well as for sewerage.

Evaluating financial sustainability along the sanitation value chain using a financial flow simulator (eSOSView™).

A majority of the world's population use onsite sanitation systems, which store or treat excreta close to where it is generated. Sludge from these systems needs to be managed through a series of stages, known as the sanitation value chain. There is a huge diversity of service providers, not only within each part of the chain, but also along the chain bridging the different components.

Effectiveness of UV-C light irradiation on disinfection of an eSOS(®) smart toilet evaluated in a temporary settlement in the Philippines.

Ultraviolet germicidal (short wavelength UV-C) light was studied as surface disinfectant in an Emergency Sanitation Operation System(®) smart toilet to aid to the work of manual cleaning. The UV-C light was installed and regulated as a self-cleaning feature of the toilet, which automatically irradiate after each toilet use. Two experimental phases were conducted i.