Curious Kids: Where does my poo go when I flush the toilet? Does it go into the ocean?
You flush the toilet. Down it goes. What happens after that? Clancy, age four, wants to know.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Toilets
Displaying all articles
Finally facing our water-loo: it’s time to decolonise sewerage systems
Modern sewerage infrastructure, exported from Britain to the globe, is entirely dependent on water. In a world of growing climate extremes, it's time to look beyond this colonial legacy.
The world needs more toilets – but not ones that flush
The invention of the flush toilet was probably one of the most unsustainable innovations in human history.
Sanitation projects will go down the toilet unless we ask people what they really want
Community participation is vital to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. But at the moment it often comes too little, too late.
As Rio bay waters show, we badly need innovation in treating human wastes
Expecting the rest of the world to adopt expensive, centralized sewage treatments systems common in the U.S. is not realistic.
Indian PM risks political backlash if plan to build 100 million toilets fails
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to bring 1.5 million toilets to the 600 million Indians without access by 2019. If he fails that could prove dangerous in an election year.
Gender equality comes one toilet at a time
While everyone needs access to proper sanitation to stay healthy, for girls and women it is also an issue of safety and equal participation in society.
Toilet talk: meeting one of the world’s grand challenges with innovation
More than two billion people lack access to decent sanitation. Innovative sanitation technologies can bring toilets into the 21st century with benefits for the developing and developed world.
Talking heads: what toilets and sewers tell us about ancient Roman sanitation
Archaeological and textual detective work is filling in some information about how ancient Romans used and thought about their sewers thousands of years ago.
Why do public bathrooms make us so anxious, and why aren’t we doing anything about it?
Public 'restroom' is a euphemism of the highest order. We don't find it restful.
African cities aren’t keeping up with the demand for basic toilets
We know that Africa's cities need better sanitation. But is the global focus on private rather than shared toilets really the best approach?
Lessons from three East African cities on why sanitation is such a challenge
Sanitation is a massive problem in East Africa. On the supply side there are a host of problems which are preventing people from accessing decent sanitation.
The quest to find affordable and sustainable sanitation solutions for Africa
Despite improvements, there are still millions of people without adequate sanitation in Africa. Sustainable solutions that can be replicated elsewhere are being developed in South Africa.
Providing the toilets people want will help Clean India’s campaign
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has wowed audiences in Australia during his recent visit and used the occasion to remind people of his plan to provide a toilet at home for all Indians by 2019. The…
Why not change the way you wee to save the world?
The critical links between water, sanitation, and our global consumption of energy – the “energy-water nexus” are more obvious than ever before. But how many of us will take direct action at the most basic…
Solving the toilet shortage needs a bottom-up approach
Why does one third of the world’s population have inadequate sanitation? Hopefully I can shed a bit of light on this. You see, my work is shit – literally – which is why I call myself a water, sanitation…
The other benefit of sanitation: from human waste to human food
What goes down our toilet is commonly viewed as waste. This makes intuitive sense because separating people from their excreta - sanitation - is arguably the single most important public health objective…
Top contributors
-
Lecturer, Global Change Institute, Honorary Fellow, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland
-
Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University
-
Senior Research Fellow and Science Director, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, University of Melbourne
-
Visiting Research Professor, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore
-
Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Sheffield Hallam University
-
Associate Professor of Marketing, Monash University
-
Research Engineer, Pollution Research Group, University of KwaZulu-Natal
-
Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Medical Center
-
Professor of Classical Studies, Brandeis University
-
Professor of Sociology and Metropolitan Studies, New York University
-
Postdoctoral (FIRST) Fellow, Department of Environmental Health, Emory University
-
Professor of Environmental Engineering and the Mortenson Professor in Sustainable Development, University of Colorado
-
Lecturer in Environmental Geography and Urban Planning, University of Rwanda
-
Lecturer and course director in Water Science, Policy and Management, University of Oxford
-
Nina Lansbury Hall is a Friend of The Conversation.
Lecturer, Environmental Health Unit, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland
Most read on The Conversation
The dangers of being a bridesmaid in China mean some brides now hire professionals
The gig economy is nothing new – it was standard practice in the 18th century
How ‘clean eating’ can damage children’s health
This map shows what white Europeans associate with race – and it makes for uncomfortable reading
Eight foods that (nearly) last forever
Britain better fix its identity crisis fast – or risk a disastrous Brexit
Why people believe in conspiracy theories – and how to change their minds
I interviewed convicted rapists in New Delhi – and then found one of their young victims
Surprising ways to beat anxiety and become mentally strong – according to science