Male Latrine. Fort Sam Houston, Texas
(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, with significant use in the developing world. Many variations exist, but at its simplest, the reason for using a latrine is that waste is controlled and decomposed into safer by-products. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sewage treatment is the process that removes the majority of the contaminants from waste-water or sewage and produces both a liquid effluent suitable for disposal to the natural environment and a sludge. ... Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China An artists rendering of an aerial view of the Maryland countryside: Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank, 1918-1986), Aerial Series: Ploughed Fields, Maryland, 1974, acrylic and mixed materials on apertured double canvas, 52... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ... “Spoilage” redirects here. ...

Latrine is also a term common in the 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. Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... An Air force is a military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. ... A typical American bathroom A bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context. ... Flush toilet. ...

Types

There are many types of latrine technologies that have been used in the past, and some that are currently being developed. Some of the most exciting new technologies in development are those involving ecological sanitation (EcoSan). Ecological Sanitation One person produces about 500 litres of urine and only 50 litres of faeces per year. ...

Some different types and technologies regarding latrines are:

• Pit toilets, 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 a latrine that reduces two of the most common problems with a simple pit latrine; odor and fly/mosquito breeding. Adding a ventilating pipe is the key improvement of the ventilated improved pit latrine. See Pit toilet.

• The Double-vault Ventilated Composting Latrine is the currently most advanced, free-standing latrine. Apart from offering significant reduction in risk from waterborne-diseases, this type of ecological sanitation provides the closing of some nutrient cycles by allowing the safe, composted waste to be used as a "free" soil treatment in agriculture.

• A water privy is a situation where a watertight tank receives the waste and sends it to an underground seepage pit or drainage area.

Pit toilet in Tunisia A pit toilet is a method of collection of human waste, used for composting, controlled decomposition, or waste disposal used most often in areas with no sewer system. ... Cross section showing the water table varying with surface topography as well as a perched water table The water table or phreatic surface is the surface where the water pressure is equal to atmospheric pressure. ... Return inlet (left)Supply outlet (right). ... Pit toilet in Tunisia A pit toilet is a method of collection of human waste, used for composting, controlled decomposition, or waste disposal used most often in areas with no sewer system. ... Ecological Sanitation One person produces about 500 litres of urine and only 50 litres of faeces per year. ...

See also

• Community-led total sanitation
• Composting toilet
• Ecological sanitation
• Outhouse
• Pit toilet
• Septic tank
• Sewer
• Waste disposal