Building Treebogs in Kakuma Refugee Settlement

A Treebog, designed by Permaculturist Jay Abrahams from Biologic Design, is a raised composting drop toilet which directly feeds into tree roots. It is a regenerative sanitation system that converts human waste (urine, faeces, and wiping paper) into biomass without any secondary handling. By using moisture-loving trees, shrubs, and bushes planted around the compost pile, the Treebog system uses natural resources to reduce odours and feed the composting process with necessary carbon-rich material.

Re-Alliance partner Farming & Health Education implemented this project in Kakuma Refugee Settlement. They were concerned that the secondary handling of human waste can be a significant health barrier in camps and settlements for the take-up of composting toilet systems. Displaced people were worried about the ongoing management and safety measures required to build other composting toilet solutions. Whereas with Treebogs, minimal or no handling of the 'humanure' is needed, for a small family. The core goal of this project was to install a double-unit Treebogs for the community and convert everyday toilet wastes into fertile compost, and measure to see how long it takes to fill the system, and then for the humanure to naturally degrade.

The project included teaching communities how to manage the Treebog system. This involved instructing on the daily use of the Treebog toilets, and what to plant around Treebogs. It's important to only plant perennial plants such as trees, and not annual plants, to avoid interacting with the soil around the Treebog.

This Treebog project involved 70 participants, whose attitudes toward ecological sanitation shifted from negative (primarily because of a perception that composting toilets would be smelly or dirty) to highly positive after experiencing the Treebog system.

This effective implementation created a viable, regenerative WASH system and a valuable biological resource. Ecologically, the system’s soil quality rapidly improved, becoming noticeably darker. Trees around the Treebog grew up to two times faster than those not around the Treebog, as a result of the influx of organic matter and water directly feeding their roots.

Existing Treebogs serve as powerful working examples. The Re-Alliance team are eager to further test this concept to see whether it is viable for full-scale use across camps and settlements. You can find out more about Treebogs in this publication.