Manage waste so that it neither smells nor tells a stranger how many people live there and what they eat: put the latrine downwind and well away from the dwelling and from every water source, close each pit when it is half full, and bury, burn or hide the rest where animals cannot dig it up. A rubbish heap shows a visitor the size and diet of a household, so remove it rather than let it grow.
Part of Camouflage and Concealment
Waste management for concealment is the siting, containing and disposal of human waste, food scraps and rubbish so that smell and evidence do not reveal a household.
Waste Is Evidence And Waste Is A Disease Source
The parent article says latrines should be downwind and 100 m or more from the shelter, because the ammonia of urine and the bacterial gases of faeces are detectable at a distance; that waste should be buried in holes 15-20 cm deep and covered completely; that latrine pits should be filled when half full and new ones dug; and that garbage should be burned if combustible and buried or cached if not, 100 m or more from the living area. A pile of garbage, it adds, tells an observer exactly how many people live at a site and what they are eating.
That advice meets a second duty. Human waste spreads cholera, typhoid, dysentery and parasites by the faecal-oral route, so the first rule of any latrine is its distance from water. Latrine Building puts a pit at least 30 m from any water source and downhill from the supply; Waste Disposal limits cat holes to the first 48 hours before a permanent system. The concealment distances above are in addition to those sanitation distances, never instead of them.
What You Need
- A latrine site downwind, away from water, and out of sight of paths
- Cover material — ash, lime or dry soil to cover each deposit
- Lidded containers for kitchen scraps
- A digging tool, and a fire-safe burning place at a distance from buildings
- A way to wash hands at the latrine; see Hand Washing
Method: Site, Contain, Close
Step 1: Site the latrine. Downwind of the dwelling for the usual wind, at least the sanitation distance from water, and hidden by a screen of vegetation that does not block the way in. Dig for use as in Pit Latrine Design.
Step 2: Cover every deposit with ash, lime or dry soil. This reduces smell and flies.
Step 3: Work out when to close the pit. Close it when half full, as the parent article says, and dig the next before the old one is closed, so there is always one open.
Step 4: Sort the rubbish. Compost or bury food waste deeply or seal it until it can be disposed of; burn clean paper and untreated wood; do not burn plastic, rubber or treated wood, whose smoke is toxic and conspicuous. Metal and glass go into a pit away from the dwelling and are covered with a layer of earth.
Step 5: Keep a record of where waste has gone, so that you do not dig it up later or build a well near it.
Step 6: Rotate the burial areas. An area dug repeatedly looks different from the ground around it.
Worked Example: When Does The Latrine Pit Close?
A household of 6 digs a pit 1 m wide, 1 m long and 2 m deep. Pit-latrine design uses a working fill rate of 50 L per person per year, with the range 40-60 L, from Pit Latrine Design.
- Pit volume: 1 m × 1 m × 2 m = 2 m³ = 2,000 L.
- Usable volume when closing at half full: 2,000 × 0.5 = 1,000 L.
- Annual input: 6 people × 50 L = 300 L a year.
- Time to half full: 1,000 ÷ 300 = 3.3 years.
The pit-latrine article warns that cover material and faster early accumulation reduce the real life to 2-3 years, so plan for the shorter figure: the next pit should be ready by the end of the second year.
Common Mistakes
- A latrine placed for concealment and not for water. Uphill of a well, it can poison the household.
- Dumping waste in a ravine or stream bed. It is found, and it contaminates water.
- Burning everything. Plastic and rubber burn with black, toxic smoke that can be seen and smelled.
- Digging up old waste. Mark closed pits so that nobody digs there.
Safety
Waste spreads disease and its smoke can poison
Keep every latrine away from water supplies and wells and downhill of them. Wash hands after every latrine visit. Do not burn plastics, treated wood, paint or chemical containers: the smoke is toxic. Fires used to burn rubbish must be small, attended and extinguished completely, and kept clear of dry camouflage, buildings and tall dry grass. Cover pits and mark them so that children and animals do not fall in, and do not enter a deep pit.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Personal Scent — the last of the scent sources
- Combine with: Camp Sanitation — the hygiene practices behind the concealment rules