SPC Geoscience Division

Majuro, June 27, 2012: An expert from Tuvalu is leading the construction of composting toilets in Majuro, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), to trial how effective they are at reducing septic pollution of Majuro’s main groundwater resource, the Laura water lens.

The dry eco-san composting toilets use very little water and have the twin benefits of both conserving water and preventing sewage from leaching out of septic systems and into the surrounding environment. The toilets have already been successfully trialled on Tuvalu’s main atoll of Funafuti, where 40 toilets have been constructed.

Tuvalu’s experience with these toilets has also generated interest in other Pacific island countries. Tonga has constructed two demonstration toilets in households on the island of Vava’u, while Nauru has installed them in several primary schools.The initiative is part of a regional Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) demonstration project to build the capacity of Pacific Island countries to manage water resources.

Pisi Seleganiu, Project Manager of Tuvalu’s GEF IWRM project currently in Majuro, believes composting toilets are the most appropriate sanitation technology for atoll countries which have scarce water resources and porous soils.