Ethekwini considers reinvented toilet launch
THE ethekwini Municipality water and sanitation unit is considering entering into a three-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to support the testing, evaluation and uptake of reinvented non-sewered sanitation solutions and capacity-building.
The BMGF is a non-profit organisation that has been fighting poverty, disease and inequity around the world for over 20 years. It was founded by billionaire Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda.
In 2011, the Water and Sanitation and Hygiene programme at the BMGF initiated the Re-invented Toilet Challenge (RITC) to spur the creation of new toilet technologies that safely and effectively manage human waste, stated a report tabled before the ethekwini Executive Committee (Exco) on Tuesday.
According to the foundation, the RITC supports the development and commercialisation of products that remove harmful pathogens from human waste and recover valuable resources such as energy, clean water, and nutrients; can operate “off the grid” without connections to water and sewers and require minimal electricity; cost less per user per day; and promote sustainable and profitable sanitation services and businesses in poor urban settings and can appeal to everyone in developed as well as developing nations.
The BMGF has committed $350 000 (about R6 million) for the first phase of the programme, which includes planning, stakeholder mapping and task-force creation. Further funding will be made available based on the outcome of the first phase.
The foundation awarded grants to researchers around the world to develop reinvented toilet technologies based on innovative approaches and engineering processes. As a result of the RITC, there are now several Reinvented Toilets (RT) technologies which are available worldwide.
The BMGF and the ethekwini water and sanitation (EWS) would like to collaborate closely and synergise initiatives with their respective mandates and resources to achieve the desired deliverables while maximising efficiency.
The key objectives of the agreement are the testing of RT technologies, the demonstration and evaluation of commercialised RT technologies in the ethekwini Municipality with a view to supporting a large-scale roll out, provision of flood relief support by the BMGF with climate resilient RT technologies, and building capacity with the EWS for future uptake of RT technologies.
The co-funding arrangements on specific projects will be entered into between the BMGF and EWS, subject to funding availability. The matter will be brought before a full ethekwini council meeting this month.
The foundation said the initiative has resulted in more than 25 breakthrough processing components and technologies that are available for commercialisation by product and sanitation service companies.
In 2020, the BMGF partnered with South Africa’s Water Research Commission and the Department of Science and Innovation to launch the first reinvented commercial demonstration platform to pilot reinvented toilet models in school and community settings.