← BackSanitation Waste
Purpose: stop preventable illness by controlling human waste, trash, and hand hygiene in low-resource conditions.
Do This First
- Separate clean water area from waste area immediately.
- Set up handwashing station before cooking station.
- Choose latrine system and mark it clearly.
- Assign daily sanitation check duty.
Minimum Layout Rules
- Latrine at least 200 ft from water source
- Downhill from living and food prep areas
- Handwashing station within 10 ft of toilet area
- Waste burn/bury zone downwind of camp
Latrine Options
| Type | Build Time | Best Use | Limit |
|---|
| Cat hole | 5 min | Short travel | Single person temporary |
| Trench latrine | 30 to 60 min | Small group 1 to 2 weeks | Needs regular cover material |
| Bucket toilet | 15 min | Indoor emergency use | Requires bag/liner handling |
| Composting toilet | 1 to 2 days | Long-term site | Needs process discipline |
Greywater and Trash
- Strain food solids before dumping dishwater
- Dispose greywater in soak pit, not near pathways
- Separate waste: burnable, compostable, hazardous, sharp
- Store medical or sharp waste in rigid labeled containers
Food scraps attract pests fast. Bury or compost on schedule, never leave overnight near shelter.
Decision Table
| If this happens | Do this now | Backup action | Verify |
|---|
| Diarrhea cluster starts | Boil all drinking water | Increase handwash frequency | New case count drops in 48h |
| Latrine smells strongly | Add cover material after each use | Move and close old pit | Odor reduced same day |
| Flies increase | Cover waste and food immediately | Add traps + improve cleanup cadence | Fly count down next day |
| Soap low | Use ash + water temporary method | Prioritize soap for toilet and food prep | Handwash compliance maintained |
Common Mistakes and Fixes
- Mistake: toilet too close to water. Fix: relocate to 200 ft minimum.
- Mistake: no handwashing enforcement. Fix: post visible rule and supplies.
- Mistake: mixing medical and household trash. Fix: separate bins with labels.
- Mistake: poor nightly cleanup. Fix: final 15-minute sanitation sweep.
Scenario Drills
Drill 1: Rapid Camp Setup
- Set up latrine, handwash, and greywater zones in under 30 minutes.
- Mark all zones clearly.
- Run hygiene briefing.
- Goal: zero layout violations.
Drill 2: Illness Containment
- Simulate one GI illness case.
- Activate isolation and disinfection workflow.
- Track contact surfaces and cleaning intervals.
- Goal: no second case in drill window.
Printable Checklist
- [ ] Toilet zone distance rule met
- [ ] Handwash station stocked
- [ ] Greywater system active
- [ ] Waste sorting bins labeled
- [ ] Daily sanitation lead assigned
- [ ] Evening cleanup completed
- [ ] Illness response plan posted
Safety note: sanitation failures can disable a group faster than food shortages. Hygiene is mission-critical, not optional.
QR REASSEMBLY: Scan content QRs in order to reconstruct this page offline.
Scan to open this page:
Offline Content QRs
Scan in order to reconstruct full page text offline.