The main objective of a sanitation system is to protect and promote human health by providing a clean environment and breaking the cycle of disease. In order to be sustainable a sanitation system has to be not only economically viable, socially acceptable, and technically and institutionally appropriate, but it should also protect the environment and the
natural resources. According to the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance, when improving an existing and/or designing a new sanitation system,
sustainability criteria related to the following aspects should be considered:
Health for the workers). Health aspects include the risk of exposure to
pathogens and hazardous substances that could affect public health at all points of the sanitation system from the toilet via the collection and treatment system to the point of reuse or disposal. The topic also covers aspects such as
hygiene,
nutrition and the improvement of livelihood achieved by the application of a certain sanitation system, as well as downstream effects.
Environment and natural resources Environment and
natural resources aspects involve the required energy, water and other natural resources for construction, operation and maintenance of the system, as well as the potential emissions to the environment resulting from use. It also includes the degree of recycling and
reuse of excreta practiced and the effects of these, for example reusing the
wastewater, returning nutrients and organic material to agriculture, and the protecting of other non-renewable resources, for example through the production of
renewable energy (e.g.
biogas or fuel wood).
Technology and operation Technology and operation aspects incorporate the functionality and the ease with which the system can be constructed, operated and monitored using the available human resources (e.g. the local community, technical team of the local utility etc.). It also concerns the suitability to achieve an efficient substance flow management from a technical point of view. Furthermore, it evaluates the robustness of the system, its vulnerability towards disasters, and the flexibility and adaptability of its technical elements to the existing infrastructure, to demographic and socio-economic developments and
climate change.
Finance and economics Financial and economic issues relate to the capacity of households and communities to pay for sanitation, including the construction, maintenance and depreciation of the system. Besides the evaluation of investment, operation and maintenance costs, the topic also takes into account the economic benefits that can be obtained in "productive" sanitation systems, including benefits from the production of the recyclables (soil conditioner,
fertiliser, energy and
reclaimed water), employment creation, increased
productivity through improved health and the reduction of environmental and public health costs.
Socio-cultural and institutional aspects Socio-cultural and institutional aspects take into account the socio-cultural acceptance and appropriateness of the system, convenience, system perceptions,
gender issues and impacts on
human dignity, the contribution to
subsistence economies and food security, and legal and institutional aspects. == Planning for sustainable sanitation ==