Eco-Friendly Toilet

[Anchor Lead]

It is said to take about 12 liters of water to flush a toilet after each use. Now there is an environmentally friendly toilet that is capable of processing waste without water and making natural compost.

[Pkg]

This is an environment-friendly toilet named "Tori" set up at a garden in Seoul. A closer look reveals that there is no handle to flush it. When a person uses this toilet, urine passes through a tube in the front and feces is sent up and automatically separated by a screw mechanism. They are stored in separate containers for moisture removal. After two weeks of aging, the urine turns into natural compost and feces into soil conditioner.

[Soundbite] Lee Eun-su(Farming Expert) : "Urine is best when it comes to nitrogen-based fertilizers needed to grow crops."

It takes an average of 12 liters of water to use the toilet at home every time. If this waterless toilet is installed in a village of 1,000 people, about 4,000 US dollars can be saved from their monthly water charge. Plus they would secure around 8,900 dollars' worth of fertilizer.

[Soundbite] Prof. Han Moo-young(Seoul Nat'l Univ.) : "Science can solve small issues like using a spray to prevent sticking and adjusting the location of air ducts for deodorization."

This environment-friendly toilet is also likely to be useful in countries suffering from water shortage.