Latrine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Male Latrine. Fort Sam Houston, Texas (April 2006).
Male Latrine. Fort Sam Houston, Texas
(April 2006).

The Latrine is also another name for Duchamp's Fountain

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.

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.

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).

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 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.

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