The plastic’s life could be prolonged, said engineers and designers from To.org and Spanish design studio Nagami. built a portable toilet from recycled plastic medical trays. Dubbed The Throne, the new design replaces the traditional boxy shape with a sleek, tear-drop style that includes a sliding door.
Recycled toilet’s simple design makes the toilet useful for refugee camps and disaster recovery zones, the inventors say. In their efforts to unend supply of post consumer plastic to work with, designers have created incredible new ways of making waste useful.
Printed using a seven-axis robotic printer, the portable toilet is a proof of concept that the design team says could help provide better facilities for refugees in camps and survivors in natural disaster recovery zones. Because 3D printing results in a raised surface, the designers chose an off-the-shelf toilet in order to have a smooth seat and bowl surface. The toilet separates solid waste from liquids for composting, an additional benefit that could help in situations where access to energy and power is limited or erratic.
Currently being trialled on a construction site in Switzerland, the studio says the production price needs to drop in order to make local production of The Throne an easy option for communities.
A number of low-cost, yet more sustainable options for everyday life are being trialled in a variety of countries, with Springwise spotting a new cookstove design that reduces air pollution and improves community health by enclosing the flames, and bamboo sleepwear with integrated insect repellant.
