The Philippines being located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire and surrounded by large bodies of water is at high risk of experiencing natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and typhoons. Because of these, its populace is also highly vulnerable to suffer from its devastating effects, including hunger, thirst, inconvenience due to the absence of toilets, bathrooms, and other sanitation facilities.
Realizing the urgency to help mitigate these needs particularly need for a toilet bowl, the Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) together with its packaging technology experts responded and developed an effective, easy to install and use toilet buddy, the collapsible toilet bowl.
The collapsible toilet bowl is made from corrugated fibreboard sheets that withstand a maximum weight of 300 kilograms at normal condition/use. It is individually packed in Polyethylene (PE) or plastic bags per kit. A kit contains the collapsed toilet structure, plastic bag, anti-microbial/disinfectant, toilet paper, coagulating agents to contain the waste, and a user’s manual. To facilitate transport in bulk, a master box or distribution box is currently being constructed.
While the collapsible toilet structure is intended for use during emergencies in evacuation areas, it can also be used for other purposes such as a travel buddy for long journeys by land.
The ITDI Collapsible Toilet Bowl is one of 21 ITDI-developed technologies selected to be featured in Cluster 7 – Resilience and Innovation of the 2019 National S&T Week (NSTW) Exhibits slated on July 17-21, 2019 at the World Trade Center-Metro Manila. Admission to the exhibits is FREE. It is open to the public from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
NSTW is celebrated every third week of July through Proclamation No. 169 of 1993 to highlight significant contributions of S&T to national development. (DDGotis\\ ITDI S&T Media Services)
