Composting toilets for emergencies

What it does

Eco-friendly emergency toilet for Los Angeles disaster zones. Rapidly deployable, fully compostable, and metal-free, ensuring hygiene and waste management when infrastructure fails.

Your inspiration

After studying the vulnerabilities of Los Angeles during earthquakes, I realized that sanitation is often overlooked in disaster response. News of people lacking access to toilets made the issue real. Existing solutions were either unsustainable or hard to deploy. I wanted to create a system that’s not only eco-friendly but also durable and easy to transport. The goal is to provide a toilet that supports dignity, health, and long-term use—even in emergency settings—while enabling efficient deployment and compost-based waste management.

How it works

The system includes a lightweight, collapsible toilet made from recycled and biodegradable materials like bamboo, silicone, and compostable plastics. Each unit comes in a durable bin that holds two toilets. After an earthquake, first responders such as police or firefighters deliver the bins to affected communities. Toilets can be set up quickly without tools. A compostable liner bag collects waste, which is sealed and placed back into the bin. The bin expands into a composting container that allows safe, hygienic storage of waste on-site. Later, emergency teams retrieve the bin and send it to composting facilities in Los Angeles for processing. Silicone seals prevent odors and leaks, while the design ensures cleanliness and dignity. All parts are modular, lightweight, and either reusable or fully compostable. The complete kit fits in a compact case for easy transport and rapid deployment during disasters.

Design process

The design began with research into post-earthquake conditions in Los Angeles, where damaged homes often leave residents without access to toilets or working sewage systems. I started by analyzing existing emergency toilet products—purchasing and fully disassembling several top-selling models from Amazon. I evaluated each material for environmental impact, durability, and usability, identifying non-eco-friendly components and exploring better alternatives. Early ideas included reusing cardboard boxes and placing the toilet against a corner wall indoors to minimize material use. But in testing, cardboard proved fragile, inconsistent in size, and difficult to reinforce. These limitations led me to explore more durable but still sustainable materials like recycled HDPE, bamboo, and silicone. Prototyping followed in stages: from rough structural mock-ups to full-function units with compostable liner systems. I studied the differences between chemical and composting toilets, ultimately choosing composting for its long-term environmental benefits and simpler, safer waste handling in community settings. Later in the process, I developed a bin system that houses two toilets and transforms into a composting container after deployment.

How it is different

This design is government-deployable like chemical toilets but far more environmentally friendly. Chemical toilets rely on synthetic decomposition that causes long-term pollution. My system uses fully compostable materials, avoiding harmful chemicals entirely. Through extensive research, I found that many folding or portable compost toilets confuse users—people often don’t know how or where to dispose of their waste safely. My design solves this by including a built-in compost bin that clearly guides users. After use, the bin is sealed and collected by emergency services, then delivered to local composting organizations certified to handle human waste. This ensures a clean, environmentally sound disposal process without user burden. The design is modular, long-lasting, and modern in appearance, with color-coded parts for intuitive use. Damaged components can be replaced individually, reducing waste and extending product lifespan.

Future plans

As a student designer, my next steps include building a refined working prototype using final materials and testing it in simulated emergency conditions. I plan to collaborate with local emergency services and composting organizations in Los Angeles for feedback. I’m also seeking opportunities to join design competitions or incubators that support sustainable and social-impact solutions. In the future, I hope to bring this product to real communities through partnerships with city agencies or NGOs, and eventually scale it into a standardized emergency sanitation system for disaster-prone regions.

Awards

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