One of our greatest challenges in the sector is combating the "disgust factor" and shifting how professionals and the public alike view fecal sludge and wastewater. In our first episode this season, we talked about the risks of unsafely managed sanitation and how to better assess the relative risk of different exposure pathways using the SaniPath tool. While unmanaged excreta poses a great risk to public and environmental health, it also presents a great opportunity when it is managed and treated. Shifting the perspective from waste to resource means managing the risks as was shared by Dr. Charles Niwagaba in his research evaluating the microbial risk of fecal sludge application in Ugandan agriculture.  

To wrap up our 2021 pilot season, we've asked Dr. Dorothee Spuhler, co-host of Papers to Practice, to further discuss options for reuse. Her research unpacks how different technologies and combinations of technologies affect resource recovery and how technology characteristics can inform selecting systems to help change fecal sludge from waste to resource.