Simple solution to a smelly problem

It may not be pretty, but the humble ‘poo bucket’ is an important method of treating waste water at Outward Bound.

The now legendary part of the course, hosted at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds, is the way in which participants dispose of their own waste.

After some expeditions, all participants must carry their waste back from the activity sites in sealed and recycled 10-litre paint buckets before it undergoes treatment at the camp’s wastewater treatment plant.

Outward Bound school director Simon Graney says not only is it a great leveller between people from different walks of life, but it is also a green solution to disposing of an unwanted substance.

Hence the entry this year into the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards new marine category.

‘‘People get closer than they would like to,’’ Simon says.

‘‘But it’s like when you throw rubbish away or flush the toilet, there’s no such thing as ‘away’.’’

‘‘The waste goes somewhere. And if it isn’t treated right, you end up making a mess of where you live.’’

The waste is stored in holding tanks, adding oxygen to help micro-organisms begin the treatment process. It is then fed into a settling tank, and pumped into a wetland with a UV filter.

‘‘Plants feed on any remaining waste, and the resulting water is discharged into the ground for a final filter.’’

Last year, Outward Bound’s wastewater initiative led to the organisation becoming a finalist in the Green Ribbon Awards, run by the Ministry for the Environment.

They are hoping to scoop the new marine category at the Cawthron awards, Simon says.

- Jeffrey Kitt

PHOTO: SCOTT HAMMOND/FAIRFAX NZ Outward Bound has been nominated in the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards for its method of waste water treatment.