Toilets have made great strides in efficiency over the last 30 years. They have gone from the standard 3.5 gallons per flush all the way down to 0.8 gallons per flush. One innovative company is seeking to take things a step further by offering a toilet that is completely waterless.

 

Loowatt is a company based in the UK that has designed a new type of toilet that does not use any water to flush. Instead, their toilets use a flushing mechanism that seals up all waste in a biodegradable film. The sealed waste is stored underneath the toilet until space runs out, after which it is picked up, taken away, and turned into energy.

 

The biodegradable film that seals in all of the human waste is designed so that once the waste is picked up; it can be put into a waste disposal mechanism that uses anaerobic digestion to create biogas and fertilizer. The biogas can be burned as a source of energy and the fertilizer can be used for farming.

 

These toilets don’t seek to become an immediate alternative for conventional toilets; the company is instead focusing on using their toilets in developing countries that do not have an existing infrastructure to support conventional water-using toilets. The Loowatt toilets are a hygienic alternative to latrines and outhouses that pose health risks to people in developing nations.

 

The other market that Loowatt is seeking to break in to involves providing a more sanitary option for festival attendees. These toilets would be an alternative to chemical toilets or porta-potties that typically dominate these temporary outdoor events.

 

Even though water-using toilets are not going anywhere any time soon, these Loowatt toilets provide an interesting alternative for certain situations.