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Toilets
Nov
26
2011
Why can’t you flush toilet paper in Ecuador? How is sewage dealt with? How do you wipe yourself?
Answer #2
One of the basic reasons is the sanitary pipes are to small to accommodate the flushing of paper and waste, paper tends to clog or plug up the pipes. This is a common issue all over the world though except in highly developed countries where good infrastructure and sewage treatment facilities are present as well. Septic systems were and still are in many areas, nothing more than a hole in the ground with some bricks at the bottom and sides. Just one of the many areas that you need to ask about when you are shopping for a home etc if that is an important item for you.
larryp
Answer #4
We have been here over a year and get different answers to that question,I don’t think they know they just do it because they were told to. I think it is for several reasons.
1 They don’t know how to grade the plumbing correctly
2 There are no vents at all in the system so things move even slower down the plumbing.
We have totally renovated our place and have no problems flushing paper,we do live in the country and have a septic tank.
I don’t know how city systems deal with the sewage and when I ask no one can answer that question but I feel that if it can handle what some humans discharge it can handle a little paper.
Answer #5
By far, the best sanitation method is the compost toilet. It is waterless; yet there is no odor emitted at any time in the process. The compost is removed from the toilet simply by pulling out the capture drawer. And, as the name implies, the result is a very good fertilizer for plants, including vegetables and fruit. The compost contains no pathological organisms; they are \”digested\” in the process.
Should a septic system exist or will be built, it is best to pour living, US EPA-accepted, \”friendly\” bacteria in the toilet(s)once per month. Only one gallon of this highly efficient, inexpensive product is required. The septic field will never present problems of any kind, including welling above ground, or clogging waste pipes.
Answer #6
Sorry – I did not answer perhaps the most concerning question of all: toilet paper can be safely disposed in a compost toilet.
The same applies to a correctly constructed waste field, including the use of the “friendly’ bacteria described in my first response.
Answer #7
Sorry, but I can’t resist the temptation:
The French author, Rabelais, wrote that the softest thing in the world you can wipe your arse with is a “swan’s neck, held firmly between your legs”.
I don’t believe that swans are indigenous in Ecuador, but it might be a business worth looking into…
Megalodon
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Answer #1
Hey Rich, be a man and use your hand… thats how the Ecuadorians do it.
Joke.
Thats just how it is down here, the sewage system doesnt sort paper from the other things very well.
You still wipe with paper, but then throw it in a bin.
Its weird at first but you get used to it. Just fold and throw, and try not to look at it.
Dom