Army cleans up its act with eco-toilets
Following pilot project, officer in charge of environmental protection calls for wide adoption of eco-toilets where permanent facilities needed in open areas
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
An 18-month pilot project to test the effectiveness and popularity of eco-toilets at the IDF’s Nitzanim training base in southern Israel has won the thumbs up.
Today, chemical toilets, which use toxic materials, are the IDF’s go-to option for shooting ranges, as well as field deployments and temporary camps. But with their open collection units, they fill relatively quickly and smell acrid, particularly in the heat. Many soldiers then choose to answer the call of nature in nature, sprinkling the soil and bushes around with human waste and used toilet paper.
The eco-toilets intended for permanent placement in areas such as firing ranges also have open collection units. However, bacteria added to the mix ensure that the waste is constantly being dried and broken down into compost (reducing the volume in the container). Pipes outside remove odors, ensure the compost is aerated, and encourage speed-drying. There is no need for water or electricity, and unlike some compost toilets, no additional material, such as sawdust, needs to be added.
Regulations require that the contents of eco-toilets, like chemical ones, be taken to waste treatment facilities.
More than 30 eco-toilets were placed in Nitzanim.
Captain Yonatan Ben Simon, responsible for environmental protection in the IDF’s planning division, said success was measured by environmental sanitation, financial savings, and comfort.
He said that surveys conducted at the end of the pilot showed that the eco-toilets helped keep the area around them cleaner and had the potential to save each army unit tens of thousands of shekels annually. He added that all soldiers surveyed said they preferred the eco-facilities over the chemical ones.
At a time when large numbers of soldiers are being trained or are on active duty in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and the West Bank, Ben Simon has recommended using the ecological solution instead of chemical toilets across the IDF.
The pilot was conducted by the Nature Defense Force — Commanders Take Responsibility for their Environment, an organization established in 2014 by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, through the Dokifat Foundation, and in partnership with the IDF, the Defense Ministry, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund, and the Antiquities Authority.
Director Guy Saly told the Times of Israel that the Nitzanim toilets only filled and needed emptying after 18 months, given that much of the waste had gradually dried and shrunk.
The Nature Defense Force — where the SPNI leads operations in coordination with the army and the other partners — is currently running projects in 65 IDF units throughout the country.
“We do projects that have win-win potential for nature and the army’s operational and economic effectiveness,” Saly said, explaining that the army mainly works in open areas. Projects were aimed at fire prevention, waste management, providing shade in camps, and protecting natural habitats, species in danger, and archeological sites.
Saly quipped, “With all the white toilet paper we saw blowing in the wind, we called the project Nature Holds up a White Flag.”
