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Bio-Activator has achieved remarkable successes in different applications, even under difficult conditions. Here are 4 such examples: ☼ A PIT TOILET IN IVORY PARK (TEMBISA) SQUATTER CAMP ☼ PIT TOILETS IN SWEETWATERS (PIETERMARITZBURG) INFORMAL SETTLEMENT A trial was done on a rural household which has no immediate access to piped water and the only viable (and affordable) type of sewage system was an ordinary pit latrine. The household always dug the pit to a depth of approximately 1,5 meters (5 feet) and generally it would only last six months before it was full, at which stage they would dig a new one a little way away from the old site. The water table in this area is very high and almost immediately a new pit has been dug then it would start filling up with water. In households with this type of toilet the risk of opportunistic infections is greater - and particularly if any of the members are infected with HIV AIDS - because of the unhygienic conditions normally associated with this type of toilet. In the case of this household, they used to pour various chemical products into and around the pit in an attempt to get rid of the vast numbers of flies and the unpleasant odours. This family did not always have sufficient means to buy any such products. They also found that notwithstanding the use of these products, the unpleasant odour would still prevail and also the flies were not deterred. It was at the end of one such six month cycle (when the pit was almost full and it was time to prepare a new pit) when treatments with Bio-Activator were implemented. A 25g dose was mixed with 5 litres of water and duly poured into the pit. Imagine the delight of this household when they almost immediately noticed that the unpleasant odour, which normally emanated from the pit, had ceased! They were aware of the fact that this odour attracted flies and that these unhygienic pests could spread various unpleasant germs and infections. Over the subsequent months this treatment was continued, albeit sometimes on a haphazard basis, sometimes with gaps of a month or two between treatments. Initially the level in the pit dropped somewhat and then stabilized. Notwithstanding the infrequent application of Bio-Activator, a year-and-a-half later the level in that pit continues to remain at a constant level and also odour free! Addendum: as at June 2007 this same pit has now been functioning successfully for three years, without filling-up, and still odour free!! For this household, the accelerated rate of the degradation of the biological waste into water and gas has resulted in the pit latrine continuing to serve their needs long after all expectations. A nice success story! There is a local primary school which for years was known for the foul odours which could be smelled when driving past the property. The direct cause of the stench being aired was a broken sewer overflow pipe, the break had occurred on the side of a playing field where the pipe ran above the ground. This pipe was supposed to channel the overflow of effluent from the septic tank, down the side of the school property and onto unused farming land below the school (instead of flowing into a soak pit). Hmmm... not a healthy practice to start with! An inspection of the tanks revealed that the level of the effluent was as high as the lid of the inspection hatch. The school has 29 toilets, 10 urinals, a kitchen and a laundry which all feed into these tanks! A visit to the broken pipe on the playing field revealed a host of articles which had flowed out of the tanks, which should not be flushed into the system: plastic sweet wrappers and other assorted papers, fruit juice and cool drink containers and cans, a sock and other unidentifiable items of clothing! The brown, odorous effluent was flowing out in a stream + 70mm in diameter, and it was odorous! Undisciplined housekeeping was also compounded by the addition into the system of vast quantities of a "black dip" disinfectant on a regular basis. When questioned regarding the reason for the use of this chemical, the school principal answered that it was hoped that it would remedy the unpleasant odour. When asked whether it ever had the desired effect, the answer was a sheepish "No"! On a Friday morning the septic tank system was inoculated with 100g of Bio-Activator. This was accomplished by mixing 50g in each of two 20 litre buckets filled with lukewarm tap water. After approximately 60 minutes the liquid mixture was introduced into the sewage system by way of flushing 5 litres of the mixture in one of the toilets in each of the toilet blocks. The reason for inoculating the system from every block was merely a precautionary measure in case there were any fractures in the pipes, from the toilets to the septic tank, in which event the Bio-Activator would ensure that any smelly leak would also be "cured". That weekend a reasonably high rainfall was experienced in this area. Usually such a rainfall only contributes to a septic tanks woes - in that the problem inside the system is now transferred outside in the form of a greater seepage or overflow! However, an inspection on the Monday morning revealed that not only was there no odour, but the flow of effluent out of the broken pipe was clear and it had reduced to a mere trickle + 10mm in diameter! This showed that notwithstanding the rainfall experienced over this period, the Bio-Activator had still enabled the biological processes to perform exceptionally well. This said, this product does require water in order to function. Sadly, the powers-that-be at this school have forgone further treatments with Bio-Activator and within a few months the odorous overflow returned, albeit now disguised by a repair to the overflow pipe which directs the smelly effluent to just off the school property (which outflow point has been hidden by strategically placed cut-down shrubs and tree branches!). The fact that the septic tank is again failing is also evidenced by a subsequent visit from a local plumber with his tanker. In a case such as this one, regular dosing with Bio-Activator can enable the system to continue functioning efficiently and it is definitely the cheaper solution. It would also further improve the situation if the housekeeping was more disciplined. I received a call just before the 2010 Christmas holidays from a lady who owned a laundromat on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. Her laundromat catered for the locals but in-season mainly for the holiday makers who swarm to this beautiful part of the country every holiday. The waste water (grey water) from the washing machines all flowed into a drain which led to a soak pit. This soak pit was merely a square or rectangular hole in the ground which had a cover over the top. The waste water contained lots of lint and in the mix would also be liquid detergent, oil, skin particles and naturally dirt from day-to-day living. The problem was that the pit quickly filled up with waste water and there was a thick layer of a greyish, very smelly paste on the bottom. The owner of the property kindly dug another soak pit so that the overflow of the first one could be accommodated. But both pits still filled up very quickly. The Christmas season is always a very busy one with holiday makers bringing their laundry for washing and ironing. It was critical that the soak pits did not fill up and spew their contents aboveground, as the smell was about as bad (believe it or not!) as the contents of an untreated pit toilet! I mixed 3 x 25g Bio-Activator treatments in a 20l bucket of water and allowed it to activate before pouring it into the drain. The next day when the inspection cover was opened there was no standing water in the bottom of the pit, nor there was there any sludge and there was absolutely no smell!! This good example of how Bio-Activator can fix a problem involving a soak pit where the primary contents are water, liquid detergents, lots of lint and then anything that is found in dirty clothing! Needles to say the owner of the laundromat was very happy that her busy season would not be washed-out by foul smelling waste water! A PIT TOILET IN IVORY PARK (TEMBISA) SQUATTER CAMP A client asked me to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Bio-Activator treatments before committing to an order. This client chose a pit toilet in the Winnie Mandela Park squatter camp, near Tembisa in Gauteng. This took place in February of 2011, when the hottest weather of the year was being experienced. The pit toilet in question is used by 4 households. The pit is about 2,5m deep and 1,5m x 1,5m wide. When we inspected the pit the waste had only filled the bottom by about 1m, leaving 1,5m up to the hole. But the stench and swarm of flies indicated that the pit was not "working". The waste in the pit was also covered by a mass of squirming maggots. Without having to bend closer to the hole, the gasses still hit us with a hot unsavoury blast. I started by pouring 20L water into the pit, which only served to wet the surface of the waste. I usually prefer to add sufficient water to cover all the waste but, typical of the problem that these poor households face, the tap where the water is obtained was some way away. I then mixed 3 x 25g Bio-Activator treatments in a 20L bucket of water and while I briefed my client on the effects of the product, I occasionally stirred the mixture. I also demonstrated my confidence in the harmlessness of this product by scooping a handful out of the bucket and swallowing it. The client and residents present could see that I had no qualms about doing this and it served to support my claim that it was a safe product to use at home. After an hour when the Bio-Activator was activated, I poured the mixture into the pit through the approximate 25cm x 25cm opening. I also poured a little onto the rim of the opening where the toilet users had urinated. We returned 2 days later to observe the effects of the treatment. As we climbed out of the car the occupants of the dwellings recognised us and they spontaneously broke into very broad smiles. They were eager to tell us how quickly the smells had vanished and best of all that the flies had disappeared. We went into the sackcloth enclosure which screened the pit toilet from the public eye and I observed one lonely fly exiting from the pit. We lowered our faces to the level of the opening and the only faint smell that was evident was that of the fresh urine around the rim of the opening. The smell from the human waste had been totally removed! My client returned home satisfied about the efficacy of the Bio-Activator treatments and subsequently placed an order which was destined for the Congo. PIT TOILETS IN SWEETWATERS (PIETERMARITZBURG) INFORMAL SETTLEMENT This weekend (5 November 2011) I was invited by my agent in Pietermaritzburg to do a demonstration of my product in an informal settlement in Sweetwaters just outside Pietermarizburg. Some of the pit toilets (VIP's and some other funny designs) were erected by the municipality who despite their promises had never returned to service or pump them out. We are going into summer and already the hot weather has resulted in the foul smells from the toilets becoming unbearable. As a result our visit generated a fair amount of interest among the locals in the immediate vicinity. There were 2 pit toilets on the property, one was home-built and which was no longer used as it had become full and extremely smelly. Someone living on the premises had used the pit to dispose of weeds from his veggie garden. The other toilet was a municipal built affair and about 6 months old, and also very smelly! Water was not readily available to this household and so they had saved some water obtained from a passing water tanker. I used 2 x 20L buckets full of water to which I added the contents of a 100g treatment to each bucket. I showed the gathered crowd how they should occasionally stir the contents of the bucket to help activate the Bio-Activator. I scooped up a handful of water from the one bucket and drank it to show them that the product is not harmful to us. The lady who lived on the property, who facilitated the occasion for us, followed suite and also drank some. She then let a couple of small children sitting close to the buckets also drink some. While the Bio-Activator was activating I asked some of the helpful locals to pour water into the 2 pits. They first poured about 100L water in the pit that was still in use. After that they only added 40L water to the disused pit because there was no more water readily available. I poured the activated product into the first toilet with the promise that the smell would be gone by the next morning. This statement was greeted by reactions of awe and disbelief. An assistant then added the second bucket of the activated product to the disused pit. The report back that I received since the weekend was that the smells did in fact go away completely - even in the disused toilet which was only prepared with 40L water. The locals who witnessed this event were naturally very happy with the outcome.
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