Waste Management
According to WHO, poor waste disposal practices are responsible for a significant proportion of the world's infectious disease burden. In many areas, municipal sewage is often mixed with industrial waste and in some regions very little wastewater receives treatment before it is discharged into the environment. Resources available in this sub-theme include assessment reports of wastewater treatment plants, national strategies for sewage disposal, among other resources that support sustainable waste management.
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Waste Management Resources
Water for the World: Constructing Compost Toilets
U.S. Agency for International Development
A compost toilet consists of a pair of waterproof vaults that receive excreta, ashes, sawdust, straw, and grass. Each vault is equipped with a slab for defecating, a rear opening for removing compost, and a hole for a vent pipe. This technical manual provides step-by-step instructions for...Read more
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United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Designing a System of Two or Three Stabilization Ponds
U.S. Agency for International Development
A system of stabilization ponds is an arrangement of two or more ponds connected by pipes that receives sewage, detains it so that biological process can destroy most of the disease-causing organisms and discharges the effluent as treated sewage. This technical note describes the basic features of...Read more
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United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating and Maintaining Septic Tanks
U.S. Agency for International Development
A septic tank is a self-operating unit for sewage treatment. The tank receives raw sewage from a building, allows solids to settle out, and discharges effluent to an underground (subsurface) absorption system for final disposal. This technical note describes how to measure scum and sludge depths to...Read more
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United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating and Maintaining Privies
U.S. Agency for International Development
A privy consists of a pit to hold excreta, a slab with a squatting hole or a seat and pedestal, and a shelter to give the user privacy. Maintaining a privy involves cleaning the slab weekly, repairing the privy as needed, and eventually filling the pit with soil and moving the slab and shelter to a...Read more
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United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating and Maintaining Mechanically Aerated Lagoons
U.S. Agency for International Development
A mechanically operated lagoon is a large, lined excavation that receives sewage, mixes it with oxygen so that biological processes can destroy most of the disease-causing organisms, and discharges the sewage as treated sewage. Correct operation and maintenance is important because a neglected...Read more
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United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating and Maintaining Stabilization Ponds
U.S. Agency for International Development
A stabilization pond is a large shallow excavation that receives sewage from a sewage system, detains the sewage so that biological processes can destroy most of the disease-causing organisms, and discharges the effluent as treated sewage. Correct operation and maintenance is important because a...Read more
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United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Constructing Sewer Systems
U.S. Agency for International Development
A sewer system is a network of underground pipes that carries sewage by gravity flow from a number of dwellings. This technical note describes the elements involved in constructing a sewer system.Read more
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United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Designing Sewer Systems
U.S. Agency for International Development
A sewer system is a network of underground pipes that carries sewage by gravity flow from a number of dwellings. This technical note describes the elements involved in designing a sewer system. It does not attempt to explain everything needed to design a sewer system.Read more
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United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating and Maintaining Sewer Systems
U.S. Agency for International Development
A sewer system is a self-operating network of underground pipes that carries sewage by gravity flow from a number of dwellings. It flows to a stabilization pond or other central treatment facility. This technical note describes the elements involved in maintaining a sewer system.Read more
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United StatesNorth AmericaIndustrial Water Use
Published:
July 21, 2021Industrial withdrawals provide water for such purposes as fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, or transporting a product; incorporating water into a product; or for sanitation needs within the manufacturing facility. Some industries that use large amounts of water produce such...Read more
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