Taking Container-Based Sanitation to Scale: Opportunities and Challenges

Kory C Russel,Raúl Briceño,Andrew Foote,David Auerbach,Kelvin Hughes,Sasha Kramer,Mary Roach

doi:10.3389/fenvs.2019.00190

Abstract

Container-Based Sanitation (CBS) has rapidly progressed from its inception less than a decade ago to its recent classification as a type of improved sanitation facility by the Joint Monitoring Programme. CBS in many ways represents a sustainable service, as it addresses the entire sanitation service chain; offers a variety of service-based business models; and is affordable to people living in marginalized and informal urban settlements. At the same time, CBS services which have been operating for a number of years have grown relatively slowly. Taking CBS to scale will require solving several diverse challenges, particularly the need for government mandates; regulation; and innovative financing. This paper presents the collective views of some of the world’s leading CBS practitioners in an effort to summarize the potential, research gaps, and major challenges to scaling CBS.

Highlights

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 6.2 aims to provide “access to adequate and equie sanitation and hygiene for all and an end to open defecation.” The objective’s indicator is based on the proportion of the population using safely managed sanitation, rather than obtaining access to a basic toilet
Government agencies and municipalities need to upgrade ∼4.5 billion people globally to safely managed sanitation services by 2030 (JMP)1. This monumental task falls primarily upon low-income countries and rapidly growing informal urban settlements, which often have large populations coupled with small implementation budgets
SDG target 6.2 is more demanding than the Millennium Development Goal targets

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 6.2 aims to provide “access to adequate and equie sanitation and hygiene for all and an end to open defecation.” The objective’s indicator is based on the proportion of the population using safely managed sanitation, rather than obtaining access to a basic toilet. Government agencies and municipalities need to upgrade ∼4.5 billion people globally to safely managed sanitation services by 2030 (JMP)1 This monumental task falls primarily upon low-income countries and rapidly growing informal urban settlements, which often have large populations coupled with small implementation budgets. It provides an impetus to pursue more effective approaches that can serve the entire sanitation value chain One such example has been the rapid development of containerbased sanitation (CBS). As noted in a 2019 World Bank report, despite having been operational for a number of years, most CBS services are still operating in relatively early stage development3 This slow growth can primarily be attributed to the serious challenges of operating a utility service focused on the urban poor in the absence of an enabling environment supported by government mandates and regulation

DISCUSSION

Findings

CONCLUSION