A newly published standard aims to revolutionize the development of “non-sewered sanitation systems” also known as “next generation toilets,” and encourage cleaner safer sanitation systems.
ISO 30500, Non-sewered sanitation systems — Prefabricated integrated treatment units — General safety and performance requirements for design and testing supports better and safer toilets in areas where infrastructure such as sewers, plumbing, and electricity are not available. The new standard also establishes a common set of goals that manufacturers can use to reinvent toilet technology.
ISO 30500 does not address specific devices and rather seeks to spur innovation by providing general safety and performance requirements for product design and performance testing of non-sewered sanitation systems for prefabricated integrated treatment units. The standard applies to any integrated sanitation system that is not attached to a sewer.
Non-sewered sanitation systems can be used in areas such as rural communities where there is no access to sewer systems or urban communities that are pursuing sanitation solutions.
The development of ISO 30500
Experts representing industry, government, academia, and non-governmental organizations collaborated to form the consensus of the standard.
Development of the standard was led by the chair (USA) and twinned secretaries (Senegal and USA) over numerous project committee and working group meetings over two years.
ISO/PC 305 and its Working Group prepared the draft of the standard. The African Water Association and the Toilet Board Coalition also contributed to the draft of the standard.
Sun Kim, the Chair of the US committee mirroring ISO/PC 305, noted that the publication of ISO 30500 will have a significant impact on scaling of near-future non-sewered sanitation/toilet systems by setting minimum performance requirements to ensure personal and community safety.
“Users will also have a more positive experience compared to many existing non-sewered systems used in environments with limited resources such as water and electricity, and most of all, ISO 30500’s positive impact will be felt throughout the world, especially in areas with little or no sanitation services,” Kim said.