Pee-poo

©  2010  Rose George

The New York Times discovers the PeePoo bag, a compostable, biodegradable alternative to “helicopter” or “flying” toilets that are used in slums (so-called because you shit in a bag, tie it and fling it onto the nearest roof-top or into the nearest alleyway). I salute innovation, and I am in favour of private enterprise in sanitation – with the dire statistics, every little helps – and compostable bags are of course cool, particularly so if the layer of urea crystals in the bags does indeed remove all pathogens and worm eggs. Its affordability is also good – it will sell for 2-3 cents, “comparable to the cost of an ordinary plastic bag.” But presumably you buy plastic bags far less than you need the toilet. Anyway it’s a good thing and I wish peepoople (not to be confused with peepeople, who run an adult urination fetish site) the best of luck.