Paid for Waste

In the town of Musiri, located in Tamil Nadu, the government has decided to compensate residents for using a new public toilet. The novelty of this effort does not stop there, as both the urine and feces of the people will be utilized for fertilizer research. Finally, by having the residents use the toilet, officials are better able to monitor for health of the residents if they appear to be using the bathroom too often.

Aid groups estimate that more than 330 million people in India do not have access to proper sanitation facilities. And in the case of Musiri, many residents relieve themselves on river banks, leading to infectious diseases such as diarrhea.

And while both governmental and non-governmental agencies have taken on projects to build toilets in rural areas, they also have had to undertake campaigns to encourage people to use them.

The Musiri plan seems to be working, [Marathi] Subburaman said. About 150 residents use the eco-sanitation toilet daily. It has special chambers that collect the fecal matter that researchers then use as fertilizer.

You can read the entire article here. [Source: Marginal Revolution]