The United States Mission in Brazil, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and in partnership with the Cargill Foundation and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), celebrates the completion of the implementation of a social technology for sewage treatment in the rural area of Porto Velho, in Rondonia state. Seventeen families from a rural community, which had biodigester toilets installed in their residences, attended a breakfast with all project partners.

During the breakfast, Lisa Kubiske, Deputy Chief of Mission for the United States Embassy in Brazil, spoke to the participant families: "This project is an example of positive environmental action that improves the environment and benefits the lives of people. As a result of the installation of these tanks, waste no longer stands outside your homes and it no longer moves into the drinking water or the nearby river. Plus, you now have free organic fertilizer for your gardens. It is one small step that makes a big difference".

The technology, known as a septic biodigester tank, was developed by Embrapa and works by transporting sewage from home toilets into a cement tank that transforms the material into an organic fertilizer via anaerobic biodigestion.

Check here for the full article published in the Weekly Bulletin of USAID.