"Reinvent the Toilet Challenge". Photo: www.philanthropy.com.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $110,000 to an Israeli company which has built a toilet that doesn’t require water and leaves no waste, as the philanthropic organization moves forward with its “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge”.

Oded Shoseyov of Hebrew University invented the toilet, based on an idea from Oded Halperin, one of the founders of the Israeli firm Paulee CleanTec, which is building the new toilet system.

“For the solid waste, which also can include toilet paper, we are mixing it with our chemical formula for not more than 30 seconds and it will turn immediately into odorless, sterile fertilizer,” Halperin told the website ISRAEL21c. “The fertilizer will automatically be dropped into a removable canister where it can be collected from time to time and than be used for field and/or home crops.”

Over 2 billion people worldwide lack access to modern and healthy sanitation systems, and the hope is that this project will drastically reduce that number.

“Just to back up the energy source, we will also use a small solar panel on the roof,” Halperin says. “There’s no need for any sewerage or electricity infrastructures or connections. No need for water to flush. No special maintenance — the chemicals can be put in its dispenser once a month, and the cost of one use is only a few cents.”

To watch a video on the “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge”, click below.