Why Do We Engage in Sanitation Transition?

Sanitation transition refers to a systemic shift away from outdated, linear sanitation systems toward sustainable, circular approaches that prioritize resource recovery, environmental protection, and social well-being.

Traditional models, such as water-flush toilets, treat human waste as something to be disposed of, typically in centralized sewage systems. In contrast, sanitation transition aims to close the nutrient loop by reclaiming valuable resources, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter, from human excreta and returning them safely to agricultural soils.

This shift not only tackles pollution and resource depletion but also helps create resilient urban-rural linkages and more equitable access to sanitation.

DYCLE is one of the founding members of Netsan, the Network of Sustainable Sanitation, since 2018. Here, we share the backgrounds of why we engage in this transition with like-minded sanitation groups through insights from our Loo:topia Talks.

Loo:topia Talks: “The True Cost of Sanitation”

Flushing nutrients down the toilet is a linear concept from the 19th century that is no longer viable in the face of climate change, soil degradation, and urban resource scarcity. So how do we return to circularity? Nutrients must be returned to the fields and eventually back into the city. This means rethinking sanitation not just as waste management, but as an integral part of the food and nutrient cycles.

Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/482lA0zm7M0

Credits
Camera and Editing: Neven Hillebrands

Production: Anna Goretzki, Ariane Krause, Hannah Bergmann, Cordula Andrä

“Here in the city, we consume a lot of nutrients. And until now, we have simply flushed these nutrients down the toilet, for example. But we can no longer afford to do that.”

“We want to move away from the line and back to the circle! What do we mean by a nutrient turnaround? A different way of dealing with nutrients, namely leading them in circles.”

What is Loo:topia?

In 2023, DYCLE participated in re:publica in Berlin alongside many other organizations engaged in the sanitary transition. We contributed with our Loo:topia Garden, a space for dialogue and education around sustainable toilets and nutrient recovery.

As part of this initiative, we hosted the Loo:topia Talks, a series of discussions featuring project coordinators, municipal employees, researchers, and architects, all united in reimagining how we talk about and implement sanitation systems.

More information about Loo:topia at re:publica 2023 (in German):
https://www.naehrstoffwende.org/das-war-die-lootopia-2023

“We need to move away from this problem-oriented thinking towards solutions and how we can put these solutions into practice quickly.”

Network of Sustainable Sanitation (German)
netsan.org