HandyPod

The HandyPod treatment system is connected to the household or community facility’s toilet system to capture the raw sewage and treat it within the pod using microbial biofilm processes. The treated water is then discharged back into the surrounding natural environment.

In principle, the HandyPod is composed of two stages of treatment sized for the number of people using the latrine.

1st Stage: The product receives waste and pour-flush water from the latrine pan. This stage provides several days of septic containment which then, with additional pour-flush usages, flows passively by gravity into a second three-day containment stage of treatment.

2nd Stage: The 2nd container contains naturally occurring microbes that respond to the waste as food, including significant predation on the pathogens. The container’s extensive internal surface area of microbial biofilm which absorbs the chemicals and particulates that sustain the metabolism and ecology of the microbes. The microbial biofilm activity provides a treated effluent that results in ‘safe ambient water’ next to the discharge pipe.

Wetlands Work! is available to provide technical support to the social enterprise and users.

Approximately 5 years ^{Correspondence with designer}

An early prototype of the HandyPod was comprised of water hyacinths. In the pilot project conducted by Engineers Without Borders with 18 HandyPods tested, water hyacinth was found to be difficult to maintain and was replaced with polystyrene filters. Regular testing was undertaken to ensure that the water quality met Cambodian standards, with the vast majority of HandyPod systems meeting the standard for lakes and reservoirs.  Furthermore, surveys of students in schools indicated positive responses associated with the use of toilets connected to the HandyPods. A report was published by Engineers Without Borders Australia and Engineers Without Borders New Zealand.

There are some potential hazards related to the installation and/or maintenance of the product onto the household or school. To minimize risk, these tasks should be conducted by local businesses trained by Wetlands Work!. ^{Interview with Representative July 2020}