NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Developed countries are so used to indoor plumbing, they rarely give it a second thought, and certainly don’t consider it a luxury. But for many, many people around the world, improper sanitation is a leading cause of disease with enormous consequences on health and safety. A company called change:WATER labs is trying to make a difference for the billions of people who don’t have clean toilets with this astonishing innovation.

Inhabitat reports that the program is led by researcher Diana Yousef, who is both a protein biochemist and CEO of change:WATER. Yousef has been working to help the 2.6 billion people around the world without toilets. Her team has developed an affordable, environmentally safe toilet that does not have to be connected to any kind of sewage grid, with low environmental impact.

The toilet should be able to evaporate 95 percent of sewage through the use of a polymer membrane, which doesn’t require plumbing or water to flush. The membrane is like a sponge. It soaks up the liquids inside, and accelerates evaporation. There’s no use of power or heat to make this process happen.

Photo courtesy of UNICEF Ethiopia.