Reconsidering the “Throne”

by Fran Withrow 11.2021

When was the last time you talked about your toilet? For most of us, bathrooms and body waste are not typical conversation topics. However, perhaps they should be. Chelsea Ward, in her book, “Pipe Dreams,” has no hesitation about discussing the worldwide sanitation system (or lack thereof) with candor, humor, and insight, and what she shares is worth your attention. You might be as surprised as I was at what you learn.

Most of us think lack of access to indoor plumbing is the only true sewage system concern. People who are forced to resort to alleyways, buckets, and pipes that lead to open areas of a back yard need better sanitation, as do those who use pit toilets which can overflow into our waterways or “helicopter toilets” that balance precariously above waiting streams and rivers.

And these issues do need to be addressed. It is not easy to create a sanitation method that is safe, sanitary, affordable, and respectful of the customs and habits of those who might use them. There are currently many entrepreneurs grappling with this problem.

But those of us with indoor toilets also need to take notice. We use gallons of water to flush our pee and poo. (Ward uses these terms liberally throughout her book, so if you find terms like “poop” or “s**t" offensive, you are now forewarned.) Our country’s plumbing system is aging, and climate change as well as the fact that many sanitation workers are near retirement means an increasing likelihood of sanitation system collapse. 

So what can we do besides flush it all away? Surprisingly, a lot. There are companies repurposing waste to make compost that can be used by farmers. Others are using excrement to create biogas which can be transformed into energy. Can we overcome our disgust about poo enough to be willing to use it in novel ways?

To utilize our waste, it needs to be separated. However, toilet designs that sort pee from poop for reuse, for example, may be off-putting. (They may also be more problematic for women as well, as Ward explains in explicit detail.) Getting people to replace their old familiar toilets can also be a hard sell.

But Ward says how to get rid of our waste is not the only issue. Sexism and classism raise their ugly heads around elimination as well. Women take longer in the bathroom than men, since they have to menstruate as well as sit to urinate. Many places refuse restroom service to the general public, which can include the homeless. There is a social stigma related to bathroom behavior too: ridicule surrounding toileting needs can be found everywhere.

Ward concludes her enlightening, thought-provoking book with a small list of suggestions for how the average person might make changes to ease the burden on our sanitation system. Even altering the type of toilet paper we use can make a difference.

So don’t be afraid to talk about poop!  And we can start soon: World Toilet Day is November 19.