‘Sanitation isn’t just an issue for developing countries’: how a company is reinventing the loo

A Georgia Institute of Technology team works on the assembly of the Generation 2 Reinvented Toilet. Photograph: Courtesy of Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)

First conceived in the 16th century, the flushing toilet has remained relatively unchanged for more than 400 years. But as urban populations swell and antiquated sewage and water systems groan under the strain, the humble lavatory is long overdue a makeover.

It’s understood that about 3.5 billion people worldwide lack safely managed sanitation¹, including 420 million people who must still defecate outdoors. This brings huge negative impacts, standing in the way of economic growth and also spreading diseases such as typhoid and cholera.