Domestic private sector participation in faecal sludge management

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, open defecation is still prevalent. Faecal sludge management (FSM) represents a comparatively low-cost alternative to piped systems for the safe collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of faecal sludge (FS); however, funding is limited to adequately serve the approximately 2.8 billion people who rely on onsite sanitation systems (OSSs). The scope of this work was an exploration of avenues to enhance the engagement and effectiveness of domestic private sector FSM stakeholders.

This study is the first, to the researcher’s knowledge, to include market research on pit additives – consumer products which reduce volumes of FS in pits. A mixed methods approach improved the reliability and validity of the study findings. The primary data comprised a cross-sectional survey of 413 households in Nairobi, 37 interviews (both structured and semi-structured) with service providers, businesses and social enterprises, and observations of pit additive availability across 13 supermarket branches. The secondary data comprised 1,609 logbook records of the frequency of use by mechanical emptiers of the sole legal tipping point for disposal of FS in Nairobi.

Business model canvases and SWOT analyses of domestic private sector stakeholders were used to evaluate FSM business model typologies delineated by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The findings highlighted inconsistent use of the legal tipping point, implying a need to re-evaluate the current ‘licensing’ model to incorporate incentives to mitigate indiscriminate dumping. The study found attractive operational payback periods for vacuum trucks in Nairobi (with a median of 11 months for second-hand trucks and 22 months for new trucks), which provide impetus for increased investments by donors. The scope of the ‘non-profit model’, outlined by IWMI, could be expanded to include manual emptiers in a comprehensive FSM approach. Market research indicated a high willingness to try pit additives by urban OSS users indicating an opportunity for market growth.

The thesis contributes to an improved understanding of domestic private sector actors in FSM and their related business models, with recommendations for enhancing their effectiveness.