Wikipedia
An Arborloo is a simple and ecological type of dry toilet consisting of a:
- Pit (like a pit latrine)
- Concrete slab
- Superstructure (toilet house) to provide privacy
- Ring beam to protect the pit (optional)
The concept of the arborloo toilet is to collect feces in a pit, and subsequently to grow a tree such as a fruiting tree in this very fertile soil.
The arborloo works by temporarily putting the slab and superstructure above a shallow pit while this pit fills. When the pit is nearly full (3/4), the superstructure and slab is moved to a newly dug pit and the old pit is covered with the earth got by digging the new pit and left to compost. The old site uses a bed for fruit tree or other, which is preferably planted during the rainy season.
The arborloo can be considered a simple form of composting toilet. In using the nutrient-rich soil of a retired pit, the arborloo in effect treats feces as a resource rather than a waste product. In this the arborloo both addresses issues with sanitation and provides increased crop output.