This video was made in partnership with Bill Gates. To learn more about how we can help improve the lives and health of people around the world, visit https://gatesnotes.com

Sewers are a great way to make pooping safe, but they’re not always the right solution because they require specific resources that many places just don’t have.

LEARN MORE

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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:

• Sewage system: A network of pipes that conveys sewage from a point of origin to a treatment plant.
• Fecal pathogens: Bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can infect people through feces contamination.
• Utility decentralization: The process of bringing the production of utilities like energy closer to the place it is consumed instead of from a central location farther away.
• Reuse of human excreta: The safe or beneficial reuse of treated human poop for things like fuel or fertilizer.

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CREDITS

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David Goldenberg | Script Writer, Narrator and Director Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation Nathaniel Schroeder | Music

MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC https://neptunestudios.info

OUR STAFF

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Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes Alex Reich • Henry Reich • Peter Reich Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida

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REFERENCES

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Kone, Doulaye (2023). Personal Communication. Deputy Director, Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene. Gates Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/leadership/doulaye-kone

Obradović, Dino, Marija Šperac, and Saša Marenjak. 2023. "Challenges in Sewer System Maintenance" Encyclopedia 3, no. 1: 122-142. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3010010

Kruzman, D. (2022). “Cities are investing billions in new sewage systems. They’re already obsolete.” Grist. Retrieved from: https://grist.org/cities/cities-are-investing-billions-in-new-sewage-systems-theyre-already-obsolete/

Root, R. (2020). “When are sewers the best option for improved sanitation?” Devex. Retrieved from: https://www.devex.com/news/when-are-sewers-the-best-option-for-improved-sanitation-97983

Kone, D. (2021). “The future of sanitation: 10 years of reinventing the toilet.” Gates Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/sanitation-reinvent-toilet

Cisneros B. J. (2011). Safe Sanitation in Low Economic Development Areas. Treatise on Water Science, 147–200. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-53199-5.00082-8

Fernholz, T. (2014). More people around the world have cell phones than ever had land-lines. Quartz. Retrieved from: https://qz.com/179897/more-people-around-the-world-have-cell-phones-than-ever-had-land-lines

Bovarnick, B. and Dach, E. (2014). Electricity without the Grid. Center for American Progress. Retrieved from: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/electricity-without-the-grid/