Types of Sanitation

There are four main categories of sanitation, organized by the type of waste and the method of disposal: On-site sanitation, Centralized sanitation, Decentralized sanitation, and Non-sewered sanitation.

Main Categories

• On-site sanitation — refers to the containment and treatment of waste on the same property where it is generated, often using septic tanks or pit latrines, as seen in rural areas of the United States where Clivus Multrum septic systems are used.
• Centralized sanitation — involves the collection and transportation of waste through a network of pipes to a central treatment facility, such as the New York City Department of Environmental Protection's sewer system, which serves over 8 million people.
• Decentralized sanitation — encompasses a range of systems that collect, treat, and reuse waste at the local level, without relying on a centralized network, as exemplified by the Vancouver, Canada neighborhood of False Creek, which uses a decentralized wastewater treatment system.
• Non-sewered sanitation — provides an alternative to traditional sewer systems, often using self-contained toilets or container-based systems, such as the Container-Based Sanitation model used in Lilongwe, Malawi, which serves over 100,000 people.

Comparison Table

How They Relate

The categories of sanitation often overlap or are commonly confused, particularly On-site sanitation and Decentralized sanitation, which both involve local treatment of waste, but differ in their level of complexity and connection to a larger network. Centralized sanitation and Non-sewered sanitation are often seen as opposing approaches, with the former relying on a comprehensive infrastructure and the latter using self-contained systems. However, Non-sewered sanitation can be used as a temporary or transitional solution until a Centralized sanitation system is established, as seen in the Kampala, Uganda slum of Kawempe, where a non-sewered system was implemented as a stopgap measure.