Thanks to an efficient and complex network of underground pipes, tunnels and high-tech wastewater treatment plants, the journey of your poo after you flush is usually out of sight and out of mind. However, with a population of 8 billion people, and with each adult producing an average of 145 kilograms of faeces every year, the safe disposal of masses of human waste is essential. Your faeces are a combination of undigested food – such as insoluble fibre that’s difficult for the body to break down – mucus, bacteria, water and cells from the lining of your intestines. Per gram of faeces, there are 100 billion bacteria. This number changes per person and increases drastically when a person is suffering from an infection. Our bodies often flush out infections through human waste, and so without separating and thoroughly treating sewage, faeces hold great potential to spread disease in communities and the environment.
5 TYPES OF TOILET
1 LONG DROP
This story is from the Issue 179 edition of How It Works UK.
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This story is from the Issue 179 edition of How It Works UK.
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