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]]
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