Latrine 552377 217968183 2008-06-08T15:26:36Z 142.68.230.32 Cleaned up the link to Duchamp's Fountain. {{dablink|The Latrine is also another name for [[Fountain (Duchamp)|Duchamp's Fountain]].}} [[Image:OfficialUseOnly.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Male Latrine. [[Fort Sam Houston]], Texas <br>(April 2006).]] A '''latrine''' (from Latin ''lavatrina'' a privy) is a structure (usually small; holding a single person) for [[defecation]]. Latrines allow for safer and more hygienic disposal of [[human waste]] than open defecation. They are used in [[rural]] areas and low-income [[urban]] communities, with significant use in the [[developing nation|developing world]]. Many variations exist, but at its simplest, the reason for using a latrine is that waste is controlled and [[decomposition|decomposed]] into safer by-products. Latrine is also a term common in the [[United States|US]] [[Military]], specifically for the [[Army]] and [[Air Force]] for any point of entry facility where human waste is disposed of, which a civilian might call a [[bathroom]] or [[toilet]], regardless of how modern or primitive it is. == Types == Many forms of latrine technology have been used in the past, from utterly simple to more sophisticated, while newer developments show promise using [[ecological sanitation]] (EcoSan). Some different types and technologies regarding latrines are: * [[Pit toilet]]s, or pit latrines, are the simplest and cheapest type, minimally defined as a hole in the ground. The most basic improvement is installation of a floor plate. A dry pit does not penetrate the [[water table]], while a wet pit does. * A Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) Latrine is one that reduces two of the most common problems with a simple pit latrine: [[odor]] and [[fly]]/[[mosquito]] breeding. Adding a [[Ventilation (architecture)|ventilating]] pipe is the key improvement of the '''ventilated improved pit latrine'''. See [[Pit toilet]]. * The Double-vault Ventilated Composting Latrine is currently the most advanced, free-standing latrine. Apart from offering significant reduction in risk from [[waterborne disease]], this type of [[ecological sanitation]] provides the closure of some nutrient cycles by allowing the safe, [[compost]]ed waste to be used as a "free" soil treatment in agriculture. * A water privy uses a watertight tank that receives the waste and sends it to an underground seepage pit or drainage area.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} * "Flying latrines" refers to plastic bags used as toilets in African slums, so named because after being filled, "you throw them as far away as you can."<ref name="whitaker2007">Whitaker, Mark. [[2007]]-[[06-30]]. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6253564.stm "Why Uganda hates the plastic bag."] ''BBC News'' via news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on [[2007]]-[[09-28]].</ref> This has led to the banning of the manufacture and import of such bags in [[Uganda]], [[Kenya]], and [[Tanzania]].<ref name="whitaker2007" /> * [[Reed Odourless Earth Closet (ROEC)]] is an improvemet of VIP latrine. Common in southern Africa. * Pou r-Flush Latrine * Cistern-Flush Toilet * Bucket Latrine * Pour-Flush Toilet and Vault. ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==See also== * [[Community-led total sanitation]] * [[Composting toilet]] * [[Ecological sanitation]] * [[Outhouse]] * [[Pit toilet]] * [[Septic tank]] * [[Sewer]] * [[Waste disposal]] * [[Head (watercraft)]] * [[Reed Odourless Earth Closet (ROEC)]] [[Category:Sewerage]] [[Category:Toilets]] [[Category:Appropriate technology]] {{architecture-stub}} {{waste-stub}} [[es:Letrina]] [[eo:Latrino]] [[fr:Latrine]] [[nl:Latrine]] [[qu:Ispana ukhu]] [[sk:LatrĂ­na]] [[sv:Latrin]]