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Ecological sanitation can be viewed as a three-step process dealing with human excreta: (1) Containment, (2) Sanitization, (3) Recycling. The objective is to protect human health and the environment while limiting the use of water in sanitation systems for hand (and anal) washing only and recycling nutrients to help reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers in agriculture.
Small scale systems include:
- Composting toilets are the most environmental form of excrement disposal systems. In addition, the toilets design allows the nutrients to be reused (e.g. for fertilising food crops). Also, DIY composting toilets can be built at a very low cost.
- BiPu is a portable system suitable for disaster management, while other forms of latrine provide safe means of disposing of human waste at a low cost. The Orangi Pilot Project was designed based on an urban slum's sanitation crisis. Kamal Kar has documented the latrines developed by Bangladeshi villagers once they became aware of the health problems with open defecation.
- Treatment ponds and constructed wetlands can help to purify sewage and greywater. They consist mostly of plants (e.g. reed, ...) and therefore require only little power, and are hugely self-sufficient.
- The SanPlat is a simple sanitary platform that can easily be built from local materials, and enables latrines that are easy to clean and maintain.[36][37]
- Certain other options as slow sand filters, UV filters, ... may also be employed
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