As cities in emerging economies expand rapidly, they are often ill-equipped to handle their waste increase, not least their sanitation waste. Today, over one billion people worldwide lack access to safe and hygienic sanitation facilities. This seriously undermines their health and contributes to the spread of infectious diseases, causing about 700,000 deaths yearly, according to The World Bank. The bank estimates that annual waste generation from cities will increase by 70% to 3.4 billion tons by 2050, posing huge environmental and economic challenges globally.
Simultaneously, food security is a growing concern, due to insufficient agricultural yields. Many farmers in emerging economies lack access to efficient fertilizers and nutritious feed for their livestock. If taken care of systematically, human waste can contribute to solving these problems.