Developers flush after developing waterless water closet
By Ryann Connell

Developers are flushed with their successful development of a new toilet that doesn't require flushing.

From the land that gave the world the high tech toilet comes the latest state-of-the-art cistern - the biotoilet, Shukan Bunshun (11/9) says, adding that the waterless water closet has the potential to save trillions of yen.

The futuristic facility uses sawdust instead of water.

"The mechanism behind the toilet works exactly like waste disposal units dealing with leftovers," the president of biotoilet developer Showa Denko tells Shukan Bunshun.

At first sight, the biotoilet looks no different to a regular commode, but a peep inside reveals that its base is filled with sawdust instead of water.

After having made a deposit, the toilet is "flushed" by turning a handle that breaks down the business and mixes it together with the sawdust. After a few twists, the mixture is so well blended there's no sign of any foreign objects having been dropped at all -- even toilet paper!

Although the sawdust originally starts while in a light and fluffy condition, after a while it begins turning a darker color and becomes moist and clammy.

"You only need to change the sawdust twice a year," the president says. "And you can recycle the sawdust from the toilet by using it as fertilizer."

The toilet mulch is packed with plenty of nutrients that make it a popular choice for gardens. Indeed, the benefits of the biobog are enormous. As well as cutting down on water use because it's flushless, installing the high tech toilets nationwide would allow for 10 million tons of materials to be recycled yearly and the fertilizer created would turn into a clean, environmentally friendly alternative to existing chemical fertilizers.

But the problem with using the unconventional crappers lies with them being tightly wound up in a tangle of red tape. Existing laws forbid anything other than flush toilets from being installed in areas that have access to sewage. Showa Denko has applied to have its biotoilets recognized as exceptions to the rule, but prospects are apparently slim.

Should the law be changed, though, the prospects of the powerful pooper are tremendous. Toilets could be used specifically to produce fertilizer for export. The elimination of chemical fertilizers would improve the state of the environment. Water shortages would become less frequent, too. The economic impact would be expected to run into the trillions of yen, the weekly says.

"The toilet's definitely an invention for the times," Minoru Terasawa, a Hokkaido University professor who helped develop the biobog, tells Shukan Bunshun. "We'll all need one of these in the future."